Mafia Princess
by verucasin
Summary: All human. OOC. He is the mob boss that wanted to rekindle what they had. She is the daughter of the rival mob that recently accepted her fate. Will uniting together be the answer to all their problems? ExB
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **

**I wanted to write an E/B story in a mob setting, so here it is. I am also adding mafia terms (written below) that I'll be using for this story.**

** Borgata:** Family. The basic structural unit of the Mafia society. The Borgata has an established hierarchy, a body of members or soldiers, and many associates.

** Button:** a Mafia soldier

** Capo: **a minor leader within a Mafia family, chief of a crew. Also referred to as a captain, skipper or lieutenant.

** Hit: **An assigned murder.

** On the pad: **Designation for a law enforcement officer who is paid by the underworld to ignore certain criminal activity.

** Outfit: **Chicago slang name for the local Mafia family.

** Underboss: **Second in command of a borgata. The underboss is often selected because he represents a powerful minority wing in the family.

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**Thank you Joesmomma for the revisions. You amaze me! ;)**

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**CHAPTER ONE**

**BPOV**

_"Oh daddy, you are such a prude," I said as I twirled around to show off my dress, and by the disapproving looks he was giving said it was either too sexy or too short for his little girl._

_"Don't think for one second I will allow you to go out wearing that," he pointed to the dress that was clinging to my body as he was now scowling._

_I moved to walk towards him so I could give him a hug around the waist. "I know you will," I said as I hugged him. "You always give me what I want... and you know why daddy?" I looked at him, and pouted my lips in exaggeration; the only way I know would make him give-in to anything I wanted._

_"Why?" he asked as he looked at me, a smile now curving his lips. Yes! He took the bait._

_"Because I am the baby in this family, and not to mention your only daughter," I said emphatically, "and you love me!"_

_I pushed away from him, giving him the 'puppy eyes'. Finally when he couldn't take it any longer, he huffed._

_"Alright, alright," he scratched his head, "but only if you take Paul and Quil"._

_"No!" I protested. "They always ruin my fun!" I stomped my feet to show my irritation at his suggestion._

_"Take it or leave it baby girl," he said, the seriousness in his voice telling me I will eventually end up bringing the two morons along. I wanted to throw a tantrum, which was a very common occurrence around my father and brother to show the hold I have on them; however, the look he was giving me said that this was one conversation I wouldn't win._

_I stomped my feet yet again to show my exasperation._

_"Fine!" I said curtly as I spun around and walked out of his study, not bothering to kiss him goodbye. I was followed by his soft chuckle as I sulked. Hmph!_

_I went to my room to gather my purse and the keys of my car, a white Mercedes roadster, and went outside to the garage. I was still hoping that maybe he changed his mind, and I could go to Jessica's party alone. As I slid inside my car, a black SUV drove up beside me, a window slid down, and the face of a native-American came into view; Paul. I guess not._

_"We'll be right behind you Isabella," he said as the window rolled back up when I reluctantly nodded._

_'These morons will scare all of my friends again,' I cursed to myself as I gunned the engine and sped off._

As I opened my eyes to dispel the memories, I was confused as to why that particular event flashed through my brain at that moment. Was it maybe because he was gone, and had chosen those events to remind me of how spoiled and selfish I was?

Three years ago, I didn't know my life wasn't as simple as it appeared to be…well, not simple enough to just to be around my social circle. I wanted to be just a normal teenage girl attending all the crazy parties, drinking all the booze available and getting smashed, sharing a joint or two, and enjoying the unlimited cash available. Since then, a lot of things have happened; some good, but mostly bad.

I should have known and recognized that the presence of so many males in our lives were because they served as our personal guards, and not because my father had an obsessive need to hire buffed, scary-looking, and weapon-carrying men to be at our beck and call. Also, his constant need to check on me wasn't because he was a father with an overactive imagination, but a father who needed to know my whereabouts in case something bad happened; or my brother's over protectiveness stemmed from his fear that I would be the next target of our rival syndicate, and not because he had the urge to scare all my friends away. In addition, the mysterious visitors of all sorts at very inappropriate hours of the night were not the typical business partners that made social calls, but dangerous people of the underworld.

_God, I was so naïve and stupid._ Silly, irresponsible, and spoiled Isabella was unaware and uninformed that my family was running the drug cartel in Seattle up until two and half years ago when Emmett nearly died, leaving my dad with no choice but to introduce me to the business.

Now I knew all about it, and it surely changed my fucking perception of things. I was not the stupid girl anymore who ran around and had tantrums to get her way; instead, was now well-versed in the mob world trained to handle guns, perfected the art of disguise and impersonation, and was now a skilled swordsman.

My father and Emmett had not yet allowed us to use whatever knowledge we gained, and said they never would, but encouraged us to hone our skills to enable us to take care of ourselves when shit happened.

So here I was holding a simple white rose, wearing my black dress and dark sunglasses, standing and looking on as the coffin was being lowered down. I no longer shed tears over him since I had already done that a few nights ago; therefore, felt I had exceeded the quota for showing my vulnerability. My brother, Emmett, was holding my right hand with his left while he cradled his wife, Rosalie, with his right.

The priest who officiated the whole ceremony came over and whispered words of comfort thinking it would console us. Eventually, he left us alone after making sure he had done his obligations to the Swan family.

Emmett, Rosalie, and I were the last three to move from where we were standing. Most of the men had already paid their last respects to Charlie, and were now a couple of yards away, busy guarding the area while some of the others were already inside the awaiting cars, deferring departure upon our arrival.

I finally threw the rose in the coffin six feet below and started to walk towards the limousine. A few minutes later I heard footsteps behind me, a confirmation that Em and Rose were close.

We stepped inside the limo and sped away, not making conversation as each of us were lost in our own thoughts. The car stopped at an electronic gate that automatically opened, and then slowly made its way towards the pathway where, amidst the high walls around stood a large mansion.

After stepping out of the car, we made our way to my father's study for the talk that could no longer be postponed. Emmett lit a cigar and sat in the big lounge chair while Rosalie opened the vodka bottle and poured a glass for herself, offering one to me as well, which I declined.

"Shit Bella, I don't know what to say to you," Emmett was the first to voice out his thoughts. He was blowing smoke upwards, but his eyes were still on me. "They will be arriving tonight as planned."

"What's there to say? Shit happens to everybody, Em," I said with nonchalance that I was not feeling. "I made that choice before he died," my voice shook a bit. "At least now, I know he'd be happy that I will be making a contribution, even if it is with that Cullen."

Emmett was gritting his teeth in annoyance as a muscle twitched against the planes of his jaw. "Fuck, we could do away with them Bells. I can add a couple of buttons to Paul's team. Besides, two senators and a couple of officers are now on the pad. "

"Shit Em, that won't be enough, and you know that! The fucking Volturi have their eyes focused here in Washington," I replied. "And I had already said yes to Charlie, so that's that!"

Rosalie, having been quiet the whole time decided to speak up. "Babe, the Cullen outfit is the only one who are capable of giving us the protection we need, you know that."

He looked at her and frowned. "Fucking Cullens! And fucking Charlie for agreeing to their demands!" he shouted as he looked up at the ceiling. "It's fucking insulting, the trust he had in me!"

"Goddammit Em, we know there is no other choice here! It's not about you!" I shouted, scowling at him the best I could. "Besides, you can just kill him when it doesn't work out," I said as an afterthought. "Or I could do that myself."

"Are you really fucking sure about this Bella? I could cancel our meeting tonight if you even have a doubt in your mind," he quickly said. I nodded to assure him that I would not be changing my mind, even if I wanted to, which I didn't.

"Emmett, don't worry too much about me," I said in exasperation. "I can take care of myself. You made sure of that, remember?"

He looked at my face to see if I was lying, which I wasn't, and was satisfied to see I was telling the truth, so he nodded his head in agreement.

"We still have the matter of Charlie's death to deal with," I reminded him. Charlie's death was ruled a suicide; although, the crime scene from our people's point of view say otherwise. A snitch just recently confirmed that the hit on Charlie was from the Volturi; so the game begins. This was a vendetta I was willing to trade my life for just to be included.

Rosalie and I stepped out of the study, as Peter and Paul, the Capos, came inside to receive Emmett's instructions. Now that Charlie was gone, he would be the new boss here in Seattle and had a lot to do such as re-arranging the men, checking to test their loyalties, and show he was more than capable to handle and run the Seattle chapter smoothly. God knew there were a lot of fuckers out there just waiting for a chance to ice Emmett, and a chance to infiltrate the Swan crime syndicate, destroying everything my father had built. Of course that would never happen, not if I could help it.

oooooooOOOOooooooo

The red one-shouldered Gucci dress was clinging to my body like a second skin and showing off my curves as the black Jimmy Choo peep-toed pumps I paired it with made my legs look longer. I surveyed my reflection in the large mirror in the walk-in closet as I clipped on the diamond earrings Charlie got me for my 20th birthday two years ago, and checked to see if it looked good with the dress. Satisfied with my whole ensemble, I turned and went into my room.

Rosalie, who was standing beside my bed, wearing a white spaghetti-strapped dress that fell just above her knees, and a pair of Blahnik's beige stiletto, was looking stunning as usual.

"You look gorgeous Bella," she said as she air kissed my cheeks then proceeded to turn me around.

I rolled my eyes, knowing full well I had the looks and the body most women would die for, and then arched a brow at her in challenge.

"You bitch, don't you wanna compliment me, too?" she asked in annoyance.

I gave her my best smile then stuck my tongue out before turning around to walk out of the room. I was walking along the long hallway when I felt her arm link between mine. We giggled as we descended down the long spiral staircase.

Rosalie and I met three years ago in New York while I was still attending NYU. She saved me from the over-flirtatious frat boy who had been pestering me during one afternoon in the coffee shop; and since then, we had been inseparable. She was the best friend I could ask for. I was the one who introduced her to my brother, Emmett, who upon seeing her went ape-shit with lust. Rosalie is a really sweet girl once you get past the bitch façade that she had built around herself; not to mention very loyal. The coolest thing was that she didn't mind being a part of the Swan family knowing the kind of business we were involved in. They married last year in Hawaii with over 200 guests in attendance. Emmett spent over two million for the wedding but she still insisted it was a simple ceremony.

We walked to the den where Emmett was talking to a blonde lanky man. Having their backs turned, they hadn't noticed us, so we made our way to them as Rosalie then tapped Emmett's shoulders to let him know of our presence.

They turned and Emmett started to introduce us to him. He was Jasper Whitlock, Cullen's underboss. He didn't look more than thirty, so I assumed that he was about the same age as Emmett, around twenty-seven to twenty-eight years old. He had this calm aura about him that radiated an air of authority, yet innocence, giving him an advantage in a situation. He smiled and took our hands to give us each a kiss on each of our hands.

"It is so nice to finally meet you," he informed me with a smile on his face. "You are even more breathtaking up close Isabella." He had a spark in his eyes that seemed to know a secret I didn't.

I smiled at him while pondering on what he just said. _What did that fucking mean? I thought they didn't know about me until last May._

I was cut short by a giggling sound behind Jasper. He turned around to reveal a beautiful woman, short pixie-like in height with dark hair and pale skin, who could easily be mistaken as a model if it wasn't for her height. She was wearing a simple, but expensive black mini-dress.

"Hello," she said with a gleaming smile as she extended her hand to Rosalie and me. "I'm Alice, Jasper's wife."

"Well, hello to you, too," I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. I was becoming increasingly agitated as the minutes went by, knowing that I would be meeting Edward soon, the _Edward Cullen_.

The Cullen Family was the biggest mafia drug ring in Chicago as they also extended their hold on New York and Boston. They were the only one who could rival the Volturi in Italy and were the main reason behind the decision that had been made. Edward Cullen was no other than the notorious kingpin of the Chicago mafia, and was said to be a widely adept leader who was feared and respected in the underground organization because he had made his Chicago _Borgata_ impenetrable. He was rarely seen around anymore, but was said to be younger than Emmett, and devilishly handsome. This would be the first time we would see him.

We were making small conversations as we waited for Edward to make an appearance. In the shadows, I could see Sam, Peter and Quil standing at their posts, surveying the area and assessing the situation as well as the guests, ready to pounce and retaliate if anyone decided to start shit.

I heard a door open, followed by footsteps. I was still giggling at a joke Rose told me when Jasper greeted the new arrival. "There you are Edward, you're late."

I turned then, raised my eyes to the guests, and gasped. _Holy fucking Christ! What is he doing here? _My heart doubled over as I felt my feet weaken, but was quickly supported by Rosalie's hands on my arms when I came to the realization that this was 'the Edward'. _No, no, no!_

He was walking, no, more like swaggering towards us, his minions behind him. When he reached Emmett, he gave him a man hug and offered his condolences. He hadn't acknowledged my presence yet, so I stepped back and moved a little to Rosalie's side, desperately wishing that he would not remember me.

"I would like to offer my apologies to the family for not attending your father's funeral," he said as his voice still had the same velvety smoothness I remembered. "I had matters to attend to earlier in Boston. I had to fly directly from there just to be able to be here tonight."

Emmett just nodded at him as a sign of his acceptance; his glass of whiskey still in hand. He then gulped it and placed the glass down the table nearest him and said, "Let's get this shit on the road Cullen, before I fucking change her mind."

The look he gave him was one of anger, one that I was sure most people would cower from, but Emmett responded with just as much anger. The guards on both sides sensed the tension building, stiffened and quickly came to attention as their hands automatically went to their weapons; their stance ready for assault from the opposite camp.

Emmett and Edward were still having a stare down when Alice approached him and whispered something. He then nodded and turned. He searched the room and finally rested his eyes on me. His face was expressionless, except for the twitch in a muscle on his jaw that conveyed he was anything but calm. He tore his gaze away just as quickly and returned it to my brother. I was clutching Rose's hand so hard, I was sure there would be imprints on her skin; although, she didn't seem to mind at all.

"Swan, why don't you show us how great of a host you are," he said in a less menacing tone. He clapped my brother softly on his back as he successfully decreased the hostility my brother had directed towards him.

Emmett led us to the dining area. Rosalie, whose hand I was clutching so hard earlier, was now supporting me as she ushered both of us to dinner. However, knowing too well the shock that registered on my face earlier had everything to do with Edward, a full account of my reaction would be warranted.

As we sat down at the very big dining table, we were immediately served our food by the staff that also poured wine into each of the glass on the table. I sat opposite Edward while silently observing him as he made small talk with everyone around him. He was even more handsome than I remembered. The black suit he was wearing made his pale skin glow, and his once boyish face was all man now; however, his presence now was much more intimidating than before.

Occasionally he would shift his gaze onto me, and a look I didn't quite understand would register on his face, but he also didn't show any indication he knew who I was_. Well shit, if I didn't hate him, I would certainly be insulted by his indifference._

I was already tipsy as I was drinking far more wine than usual, and with the increased irritation I now felt for him, it was only a matter of time before I gave in and made a crude comment directly at him.

"Fucking hell Cullen, we won't poison you!" I snapped at him. His gaze shifted from Alice to me. "You've been allowing him," as I pointed to his fucking button that was taking the first bite and first drink for him, "to do that shit for you."

Now everyone was looking at me with frowns evident on their faces. Of course it was a practice some followed, but knowing of his blatant distrust in my family just sent me over the edge. _Goddammit_!

"If we wished you dead, I would have made sure I did it myself, you asshole!" I added to him spitefully as I stood up and pushed the chair back loudly. I grabbed my glass of wine and confidently strode out the dining hall, leaving Emmett and most of them gaping after me.

I should have known this association with the Cullen's would end in disaster. I was sure of it. However, what more could I do since I gave my word to Charlie, who is currently rotting in his expensive coffin, in the cemetery plot that we left him in earlier today, bringing with him my promise to help with the family business as best I could.

As I stood on the patio outside the den, sipping the remainder of my wine when he suddenly appeared beside me. He stood there waiting for me to say something, anything; his gaze lingering on my skin sent tingles as if he literally touched it with his hand.

"Why are you here, Cullen?" I asked curtly without turning as I intently gazed out at the black empty space in front of me.

"I came here for you," he said arrogantly. I tried to contain the spurt of excitement I felt from those words as I reminded myself he had his own reasons for this merger, and it definitely wouldn't be me.

He stepped in front of me and tilted my chin upwards so I was looking into his piercing green eyes, the same ones which had me undone years ago, forcing me to acknowledge him. His touch sent tingles all over my body, and goose bumps were now evident on my skin. I knew he felt it too, but I was unsure whether he recognized me, much less recognized this as the same feeling he so insisted he had felt when we were in New York.

I tried to avert from his unwavering stare and concentrated on his ear.

"Look at me," he said in a demanding voice, and I did. I was again mesmerized by the smoldering look he was giving me. I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it again when nothing came out.

"I've waited so long, babygirl," he stated huskily and I gasped. He used the endearment; the name he called me during that time in New York. I almost cried in relief as he remembered me, but somehow I managed to control myself and be calm about it.

"You're so full of shit, Cullen," I hissed as I pulled away from him and his touch. I walked a couple of steps away from him to get a hold of myself because if I planned to be on top of things, I needed to keep everything professional.

"Goddammit Isabella, you don't know anything, so shut up!" he snapped back. He began running his hand through his hair in agitation.

"Fuck you, Cullen! You don't have the right to order me around," I replied and took a couple of steps back when he started to stalk towards me looking severely pissed off. Suddenly I realized I was caught between the coffee table and the little bit of space left for him to reach me, as I was unable to make another move. When he crossed the remaining space, he grabbed my face between his hands and crushed his mouth to mine. My lips opened in shock, which he took advantage of by pushing his tongue inside my mouth. I tried to pull away, but with the tight grip he had on my face, I only managed to move my mouth over to his jaw.

"What do you think you're doing Cullen?" I hissed while trying to catch my breath.

"Taking what's mine," he said hoarsely. He finally released my face, and was now lightly touching my cheeks with his fingers. "I wanted to sample the feast being offered."

I felt the rush of blood to my cheeks and tried to mask it by snapping at him, "I don't belong to anyone, least of all you!"

"Well, not yet," he said arrogantly. "But in four weeks you definitely will be, don't doubt that."

He pulled me to him again and claimed my mouth in a hard kiss. _Fuck!_

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**Tell me if you want to read an EPOV for next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

**I am so grateful to the warm reception for this story.**

**To those who made time to review, thank you so much and I appreciate it. Please don't stop!**

**To those who added my story to their alerts/favorites, I am so delighted that you did but it would please me more if you would take time to click on the review button.**

**Just some things I wanted to point out, I was not solely sold on the idea for an EPOV for this chapter but you requested it, so here it goes.  
**

**Another set of mafia terms:**

** Burn:** to murder; synonyms: break an egg, clip, do a piece of work, hit, ice, pop, put out a contract on, whack.

** Caporegime: **Synonymous with capo, but often used to refer to more significant group leaders.

** Crank:** speed; in particular, crystal meth.

** Fence:** someone with worldwide outlets to liquidate swag

** Make a marriage:** to bring two parties together for legitimate or illegitimate Family issues.

** Swag:** stolen goods.

**By the way, SM owns Twilight, I just own the plot.**

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**CHAPTER TWO**

**EPOV**

My visit to Boston was an inconvenience, but the necessity of the matter at hand made me go there first rather than me being on my way to Seattle right now. I needed to check a warehouse. I rarely did these things myself anymore. Jared and Eleazer, the _caopregimes_ I had assigned in the Boston and New York area, were more than capable of doing it. Not to mention Jasper was the one responsible to oversee the entire mob operation so only the most important issues would need my direction. The owner of the building/warehouse I bought it from, however, boasted of an underground level. He assured me that it was extremely secure, which was why I was here at the moment, checking to see whether he was telling the truth. The next shipment, which costs a shit load of money, would be arriving soon and needed to be stored as soon as possible. The guns that came from Berlin would be perfectly kept secret if my assessment of this location were correct. The secret rooms down below were so thoroughly concealed that the feds would have difficulty finding it, even when it hit them in their faces, thus making me fucking happy.

"Everything within your standard Boss?" Marcus asked. He stayed alongside me, chain-smoking as always, while I surveyed the area one more time. His stance was less guarded than usual since we were in the confines of my property, but still being the protective guardian he was employed to be, matching me move for move. He and Seth were my close-in bodyguards, the best trained assassins that could hold off an attack from a dozen men. Nobody could get close to me easily with these two around, not to mention another half a dozen or more men who served as my perimeter guards.

"Yes Marky. Just fucking perfect!" I clipped back. I strode back to the black-tinted Escalade. My men, who were scattered around, scrambled to their designated cars to wait for departure. We exited the compound, with my car being in the middle of the whole entourage.

I was running late. I was supposed to be in the air two hours ago, but there was a matter of a particular swag Jared wanted to discuss with me in person and the fence that needed to be contacted because of it. I was just fortunate that Jasper was already in Seattle preparing everything for our meeting with the Swans. He insisted in joining me here but I told him it was not necessary because that particular meeting was more important than anything.

We went directly to the airport and straight to the tarmac, where my Learjet was already fuelled and checked for the five-hour flight to Seattle. I brought with me half of the entourage from Boston. Once I was settled inside, the jet quickly made its way into the air. I needed to rest but my brain didn't want to slow down even to allow me an hour of sleep. I just closed my eyes and let my mind ponder on what I had been obsessing all these years, _Isabella Swan_.

This meeting would be my first chance to see her up-close again after three years. I had been keeping track of her activities and her whereabouts all this time, unbeknownst to her, by hiring a guard to follow her around stealthily. I desperately wanted to know a small piece of her life, even if it the course of action it entailed was less than stellar. She had definitely matured from the beautiful girl with the mesmerizing brown eyes and sweet disposition to a stunning and sexy woman. It had been quite difficult knowing she was there within my reach, but that I was unable to be with her, all because of my stupidity during that time in New York. I didn't have a choice back then, or so I thought, but what did it matter? The end result was not having her in my life. I was willing to stay in the background for as long as it took. An opportunity finally arose a few months ago. An opportunity that I couldn't resist.

It was the middle of May, four months ago when Charlie Swan called Jasper and requested a meeting with me. By that time, I was already familiar with him, the most vital information being that he was Isabella's father. I jumped at the chance, hoping to wiggle whatever deal he wanted from me with Isabella as the trophy. The meeting went more satisfactorily in my favor. Charlie wanted to _make a marriage_, a marriage in the mafia world, which was different from the marriage that I truly wanted to have with his daughter. I agreed to provide him with everything he wanted and needed from me in exchange for Isabella. I knew using Isabella as a bargaining tool was cruel but I knew he would not be able to resist our deal. _I didn't fucking care how low I went, as long as my baby girl would be mine again!_ The meeting resulted in him having my full protection to his Seattle Family, and his reluctant agreement to make Isabella my wife. As long as she agreed, there would be no problems. Luckily she agreed without hesitation.

The cabin was quiet as I sat in the luxurious seat of the plane, sipping the scotch that the stewardess handed me a couple of minutes ago while eye-fucking me and subtlety inviting me to a tryst. I wasn't the least bit interested so I didn't acknowledge her invitation at all. My mind was fully occupied by images of a certain brown-eyed brunette beauty that I was dead set on conquering tonight.

I closed my eyes and willed myself to take the nap I desperately needed.

ooooooooOOOOOOOoooooooo

The black Mercedes sedan parked and I stepped out; Seth, Marcus and Garrett were hot on my heels. A butler greeted me and opened the door, leading me straight to the den where Jasper and Alice were chatting with Emmett. I scanned the room quickly and saw _her_. Even with her back to me, talking to the blond chick facing her, she was gorgeous in the red one-shouldered dress that was clinging snuggly to her curves. _Fucking shit, she is still so stunning!_

My heart started racing and I inhaled sharply before turning my head to Jasper who greeted me with enthusiasm. I acknowledged everyone, except Isabella whom I was still wary of because of the anxiousness I felt when I was around her. I also expressed my sadness over the tragic death of their father.

Emmett's outburst about the whole planned arrangement riled me to the point that I was just seconds away from losing my temper and smashing his face. I couldn't allow him to jeopardize my only chance with her. I stood there and started to formulate plans to make him pay. Giving him the most hateful look I had, unflinchingly responding to his murderous glare with my own until Alice came and whispered, "Edward, don't lose it. Isabella is here, just within your grasp. You waited for this for so long, don't fuck it up." She then kissed me on the cheek. I turned and looked to catch Bella's eyes, making my anger simmer down a little and decided that I wouldn't let her brother's ire get in the way of my plans.

"Swan, why don't you show us how great a host you are," I said with a little less anger and clapped him on his back, which earned me a nod. He eventually led me to the dining area.

We sat down and started being served on by the staff. Seth, being the ever effective guard, automatically started doing the first drink and first eat that would allow me to continue with the course. During the meal, conversations flowed around trivial things about each of our legal businesses, everyone contributing to the conversation-all except Isabella, who I occasionally turned my gaze to. _She was so fucking beautiful!_ Maybe if she would lessen the scowl she was directing towards me. I would start conversing with her personally, but me being the coward I was, decided against it.

I was acknowledging something Alice said when suddenly Bella snapped, "Fucking hell Cullen, we won't poison you!" Causing my gaze to shift from Alice to her. "You've been allowing him-" she said pointedly to Seth, who was again tasting the salad that had been served, "-to do that shit for you all night!"

Her eyes were alit with fury and it was directed my way. _Fuck me!_ I looked at her, trying to hide the smirk that was beginning to form on my lips, but clearly failed since she looked angrier than just a moment before. _So fucking feisty, I like it!_

"If we wish you dead, I would have made sure that I did it myself, you asshole!" She stated before she stood up and confidently stormed out of the dining hall leaving all of us gaping in her wake. _My baby girl is so fucking hot when riled up! Oh my God, she turns me on so much!_

When I scanned the room, all of their gazes were on me. I casually adjusted myself so my erection would hopefully go unnoticed. "I'll go to her and explain," I said nonchalantly as I stood halting Emmett with my hand when he rose to follow Bella. Rosalie, seeing that Emmett was being an asshole by not listening to me, intervened by pulling him to her and convinced him my need to have a private chat with her.

I found Bella standing on the patio looking like a goddess out to taunt me. I approached her while staring upon closer proximity and waited for her to turn and face me. When it was made clear that she would not acknowledge me, I stepped in front of her. I forced her face to look at mine by lifting her chin with my fingers, willing her to understand what I was trying to convey with my eyes. I gathered the courage to tell her that she was the reason I was here, even though her obvious distrust in me was clear when she flung my words right back at me like a slap on my face. I also learned that calling her the endearment that I used in New York seemed to infuriate her more. The problem was, the angrier she got, the more it turned me on. Her fury eventually led me to ravish her mouth and telling her once more that she was mine. _ She is mine and nothing or no one will get in the way of that!_

ooooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

The penthouse suite where I was currently staying was luxurious and complete with all the amenities a guest would want and just as posh as the penthouse we had in my Chicago hotel. Jasper, who made all the arrangements, insisted that by all of us staying in the Swan Olympic Hotel, we would score points in my favor. The likelihood that Isabella would be more comfortable around me here was high, especially if we would be discussing arrangements for the upcoming nuptials.

I was getting ready for another meeting that she insisted on having here before I leave tonight. I checked my appearance in the mirror. I was wearing dark blue jeans, a gray-colored shirt and a dark brown sheepskin flight jacket. I attempted to unsuccessfully tame my ever-unruly hair by running a hand through it. When all was to my liking I stepped out on the balcony to light myself a cigarette.

Alice called as I finished with the last of my smoke. She informed me that everyone was in the restaurant below waiting for my arrival. I gathered all my things and went to the hallway where my three guards met me. We all took the elevator to the lobby of the hotel. I went directly to the restaurant where my sister and her husband, plus a couple more muscles were already at their tables having breakfast.

"Edward, you look so tense." Alice said in a teasing tone, although it probably stemmed from the fact that she could usually assess my mood so precisely. "If I knew that she would have this effect on you, I would have hunted her down myself and brought her back to Chicago with me to use her as a bribing tool against you."

"Jasper, shut your wife okay?" I snapped at him, ignoring the smirk he was giving me. I scowled at Alice, telling her that I was in no mood for her teasing today. I turned to the waiter and ordered their breakfast special.

We were in the midst of our breakfast when we were informed that Isabella had arrived. I turned around to see her approaching our table. She was wearing a pleated, blue skirt paired with a white blouse, which she covered with a blue and white printed coat. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail. She looked appetizingly sexy. I stood up to greet her and led her to the vacant seat beside me. I was so focused on Bella that I barely saw Rosalie, who was beside her looking like a mother hen out to protect her chick.

"Nice to see you again Isabella, Rosalie." Alice broke the silence once we were all seated, and gave them her best smile.

"Yeah, it's too fucking early in the morning for this meeting," Rosalie mumbled. She had her gaze on me and was raising her brows in question.

"What? You were the ones who demanded a meeting this early. Don't fucking blame me!" I snapped at her.

Isabella whipped her head in my direction, giving me a deadly look and asked, "Can I talk to you in private somewhere?" I nodded, took a long drink of water from my glass, and stood to wait for her lead.

She whispered something to Rosalie that earned her a nod before standing up to lead the way back to a secluded portion of the restaurant. Marcus and Seth were automatically on their feet following us.

"Marky, you and Seth just stay right out here," I said to them as we entered what looked like a private quarters of some sort. "I need to speak to her in private."

"Whatever you say boss," Seth replied while Marcus grunted as they took their posts outside the door.

I closed the door of the room and turned around to face her. She was scowling at me.

"Cullen, I don't want to beat around the bush with you."

"Neither do I, Isabella. I am hoping that the reason for this early morning appointment is a good one."

"Reasons you will be enlightened with in a while," she expressed in a cautious tone. "I am here to honor the promise I made with my father on the grounds you tell me all of the agreements you made with him."

"Of course." I smirked at her and moved towards the chair on the side of the table, plopped down and turned to her. "He wanted me to pledge my alliance with your Family. To give you our protection against outside forces, specifically the Volturi unit."

She was now looking at me with a less agitated look and started nodding her head to confirm she knew all of this.

"He mentioned recently, before his unfortunate demise, that they are hitting Washington in all of your weak areas, thus making you lose a couple of million in crank that was intercepted by the V's. Although, he hadn't found the evidence to prove it yet. To some it all up, he just needed me to put you guys under my wing to scare off the Italians, of course that is conditional to your agreement."

"I was made his bargaining tool," she sarcastically said to no one in particular. I stood up, went to her and bent down a little so I could look her straight in the eye.

"The condition was for you to agree to marry me," I informed her, my brows furrowing from the panic I was feeling knowing that she might reconsider her previous decision. "But you can always back out of the deal since Charlie is gone and all."

She gave me a steely look and gritted her teeth as she said, "But that would also make you take back your word that you would help my family."

I shrugged casually. She came towards me and asked in a soft voice, "Why?"

"Why do you think? Why would I fucking keep my end when you wo-," I stopped mid-sentence when I saw her shaking her head vehemently.

"Why do you want to marry me?" she asked.

I closed the remaining gap between us. "I want you baby girl." She looked into my eyes, searching for something but no doubt seeing the lust reflecting through them.

"You want my body," she said in an unemotional voice.

"Yes," I answered huskily, not adding more. We stared at each other for a while, until she broke the silence.

"Okay," she said softly and licked her lower lip with her tongue._ I want to fucking lick that!_

She was staring at me with her brows raised in question. I suddenly realized that she just agreed verbally, to honor the deal made between her father and myself.

I steadied my heartbeat, willing it to slow since I had a few conditions I would like to add; I doubt she'd like them but would nonetheless agree based on her reaction a while ago.

"Bella, before anything else, I want to make it clear that this marriage will be a conventional one," I said, looking confidently at her, making her see the seriousness in my words. She frowned and I continued. "I don't want you to be my wife so that I can have you as fucking arm candy. I want you in my bed." She gasped as her eyes widened in shock, the blush creeping to her cheeks as the implication of what I said set in.

"How many times?" she asked hoarsely, clearly affected by what I said.

"As many times as I want it to be. I want you willing and able, to be an active participant to whatever will be going down between us." I was now tilting her chin so her eyes were looking into mine. Her breath hitched and I knew that she was still as sexually aware of me as I was of her.

"You want me to be your fucking slut, is that it?" Her anger flared and I was afraid she'd change her mind. She stared at me and took a deep breath before she calmly said, "I can't believe I'll be doing this," mumbling to herself but turned to look me in the eye. "Since I am whoring myself to you, I want to get something out of this."

I looked at her, raised my brow in question, willing her to continue, and she did. "Okay you fucking asshole, you can fuck me whenever you want but you have to promise me something."

I flinched from the anger she was directing towards me; it was as if she slapped me by her blatant use of the word _fuck_. As if that would be all I ever wanted from her, which couldn't be further from the truth. I returned her stare and nodded.

"You fucking promise me that no one from my immediate family, meaning Emmett and Rosalie, will be hurt ever again," she said, her eyes pleading with me. "Don't let anybody get to them like they did my father."

I moved towards her, lifted her chin so that she could see my eyes when I said, "I fucking promise baby girl, nothing bad will happen to them."

She nodded, but added something else. "And when we know who really burned Charlie, you let me get a chance at him or her," she said so seriously that made it clear she wanted a consensus from me, the one thing I was afraid to promise her but had no choice but to agree to. I had to find a way to convince her otherwise when the time came.

"Also, don't mention anything about this to either Emmett or Rose."

"Of course baby girl!" I answered quickly, giddy with excitement now that the deal had been made. I held a couple of strands of her hair between my fingers. "Your hair is longer. It looks different…much more you," I said softly, as I gave her my most dazzling smile.

"It's my natural color," she replied shyly, responding with a small smile herself.

"So I guess all we have to do is seal the deal," I said as I removed a black box from my jacket pocket, opened it and slid a large diamond ring on her left ring finger. "This will put you off the market and this, " I pulled her close to me, grabbed her waist and encircled my arms around, "will seal the contract."

I crushed my mouth to hers, pushing my tongue against her lips until she eventually granted me entrance into her sweet mouth. I sucked and nibbled her lips and tongue, always wanting more of her.

"You taste so fucking good," I said hoarsely as I pulled her down with me on the chair, leaving her to straddle my lap. My left hand went to grasp the hair on the nape of her neck. I turned her head to allow me to kiss on the exposed skin of her neck, eliciting a moan deep in her throat, sending another course of desire straight to my rapidly hardening cock. I held her hips as I ground myself against her. My cock felt the heat from her hot core through her thin panties. I moved my lips back to her mouth and started wrestling with her tongue. My left hand moved from her hips to palm her breast, feeling her nipple pucker against the soft material of her blouse. Another moan from her was lost against my lips as I ravished her mouth, holding her head tighter as I fucked her mouth with my tongue. All too suddenly, she began to wiggle and attempted to pull free of my hold. I responded by grasping her head with a tight grip, not ready yet to release her from our kiss. She saw no other escape and bit down on my lower lip hard, making it bleed, the taste of blood evident on my tongue.

"Fuck babygirl," I growled. I was still dazed from our kiss but her biting me made me want her so much more. I touched my lower lip with my fingers and said huskily, "You fucking know what biting does to me."

She raised her brows in challenge and said spitefully, "You fucking deserved it! Since we're on the subject, let's be clear here so there is no confusion… there will be no sexual activities before the wedding!"

"But you are officially my fiancée so technically that means we can fool around," I whined, still worked-up from having her lips on mine. I became increasingly annoyed by her denying my advances. _Did I just fucking whine?_

"What the fuck Cullen," she rasped out, scowling again. "I will not be fucking you until after the wedding. Is that clear?"

I was staring at her with hooded eyes but reluctantly nodded in agreement. I stood up and straightened my rumpled clothes.

"Just as a reminder," she said matter-of-factly, her finger was stabbing me lightly on my chest. "I am not your babygirl anymore Masen, so I suggest you stop calling me that!"

She turned and quickly left the room, leaving me once again gaping after her.

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**I hoped you liked it.**

**Please make your reviews!**

**Also, you can make suggestions if you have an idea for this story, even though I already have the entire flow of the story mapped out. But I think if I like a certain scenario you suggested, I might incorporate it here.**

**Thank you again to my readers! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N 1:**

**I want to again say thank you to all that made their reviews. I am sending and blowing my kisses to you guys!**

**Also, I had more than a couple dozen people adding me to their alert lists as well as their favorites, making the happy me happier!**

**A/N 2:**

**I am temporarily scheduling Thursday as my update day in the week. So after this chapter, the next one will be posted Thursday next week.**

**I needed to post this chapter so I can establish the relationship of Jake and Bella. I just hope that it is up to par with your expectation.**

**Enjoy!**

**SM owns everything.**

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**CHAPTER THREE**

**BPOV**

The days following the meeting in the hotel, I became fully occupied with planning the upcoming wedding. I didn't want to have an elaborate ceremony but I owed it to Charlie to make a show of power and I would do anything to make this believable enough to help my family. I made sure that everyone in our world knew that there would be a Cullen and Swan nuptial in the off chance anyone doubted the validity of the Swan outfit receiving security from the Cullen Family of Chicago. The whole process of arranging a wedding and dealing with Rosalie and her constant bitching over every single detail, were quickly wearing my patience thin. _The girl will definitely be getting slapped if she doesn't stop soon!_

She was sauntering towards me carrying a stack of papers, with a look of inspiration on her face. I put down the phone from my conversation with the wedding planner and prepared for another onslaught of ideas.

"There you are sweetie," she said excitedly as she sat on the opposite chair near me. "I've been looking for you all over the house. I wanted to discuss your wine choi-"

"Oh my god Rose, don't you have anything better to do?" I sighed exasperatingly at her. "I just got off the phone with Emily, remember her, my wedding planner?" I emphasized the name just in case she'd forgotten, but she nodded and waited for me to continue. "I think she's got it all covered so can we please talk about something other than the wedding?"

"But Bella, sweetie, you still don't have a dress," she said smugly and raised her brows in challenge, daring me to deny it. "And your wedding is in two weeks."

I gave her a sullen look but eventually huffed dejectedly. "Fine Rose-" I held my hand in protest when she looked as if she was about to start in another exuberant wedding chatter "- but this will be the last thing. Okay?"

She nodded while grinning like the Cheshire cat. "I know, I know!" she promised, and then continued. "I called the Vera Wang Store in New York and they promised to schedule a fitting for you tomorrow!"

"Are you kidding me Rose?" I shouted at her, unbelieving that she would do such a thing as to schedule something without my consent. I planned to commission a local designer to design my dress and already set up a meeting later this afternoon, but from the look on Rosalie's face it seemed that said meeting was officially scrapped.

"Of course, babe. It's your day, you should look devastatingly beautiful so what better way than to wear Vera Wang?" she said, giving me the most innocent look she possessed.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her. Rosalie has always been quite the romantic, always wanting perfection in all aspects of her life. Her main aspiration was to have the perfect marriage with several kids or if you want to put it simply, the achievement of that ever-elusive happily-ever-after so many people dreamed of. What a fucked-up idea in my opinion, because how could you have that kind of life in an environment such as ours? Guns, drugs and lies weren't a recipe for that type of dreams but that was Rose for you, always with a twisted sense of perspective.

"So I talked to Emmett and he gave me the go signal for New York tomorrow," she informed me about the plans that she apparently made for both of us. "As we speak, the plane is being prepared for our flight early tomorrow morning."

I put my face in my hands and rubbed my face against my palms to release a portion of the growing frustration I was feeling. Rosalie was giggling beside me knowing too well that I was completely stressed out, not only with the ceremony itself but with my soon-to-be husband. A couple of days before, she demanded I tell the history between Edward and me, so I did. Though our past did not end on a nice note, she still insisted that the marriage with Edward was for the best and for some fucked-up reason that only Rosalie knows, she was extremely giddy about it.

I met Edward the summer before I was supposed to start my sophomore year in NYU, about two months before I met Rose. He was at a party hosted by a friend of mine, Lauren. He looked devilishly handsome amongst the group of college boys in attendance. His air of arrogance, doubled with his expensive clothes gained the attention of every girl there, who all seemed to flock to his side like moths to flame. He was the best catch at the most exclusive party in the whole university.

He explained that he was fresh out of college, being three years older than I was, and was just in New York to do some business for his father. We engaged in an amazing conversation for the remainder of the night that eventually led us to fall into bed together.

That was the start of our love affair. I was so fucking in love with him that I knew in my heart that I gave him all I had to give. Evidently I was not enough for him. The romance that started out with a fiery flame lost its burning inferno and concluded after only a month. One fucking month- too short to cause the devastation I suffered after the separation.

I was unconsciously playing with my engagement ring, a 14-karat emerald cut diamond ring from Tiffany's. Rosalie checked the ring's details online to be sure she knew all the facts about _my ring_. I pushed my musings aside and concentrated on what she was chattering about now.

ooooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

We landed in New York a half an hour ago and were on our way to the Vera Wang Store to find the perfect wedding gown for me. I was riding in the car with Rosalie and Jacob, ignoring their silent aggression towards one another. The origin of the hostility between them was unknown to me. Though they had never quite warmed up to the sight of each other after their initial acquaintance, they always managed to stay civil around each other for my and Emmett's sake.

Jacob Black, the son of Charlie's closest friend Billy, has always been close with the family, having spent most of his childhood days with Emmett. He was also a detective on the Seattle force. Without even being in our pad, he helped us with tipping our people on the actions of the police, which I had always been eternally grateful for. Jake has been like a second brother to me, a constant in my life- dependable and strong.

His appearance on the tarmac this morning was unexpected and unusual, though with Emmett's approval, he flew with us to New York City insisting on discussing an urgent subject with me.

The rush to get everything done with the gown and the presence of Rosalie prevented him from saying whatever it was he wanted to talk about with me. I invited him to join us in the store even though I was certain he would be bored. He declined and insisted that he stay in the car, even if he would be waiting for hours until we finished.

Upon stepping inside the designer's store, we were greeted with another surprise, Alice. Gleaming with a satisfied look on her face while sitting like a princess on one of the couches that served as the reception area, she definitely looked like she was waiting for us.

She came excitedly and hugged me with a force that was unexpected from such a little girl.

"Hi Isabella," she said happily.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her in a very confused voice. "How did you know?"

She waved her hand and scoffed off, "Emily of course." She strode to the receptionist and informed her that we were ready for the fitting, leaving Rose and me amused at the girl's reaction.

Shortly thereafter, I tried on several different dresses based on Alice's approval or disapproval might be more accurate. To my utter annoyance, she was bossier than Rose when it came to the wedding plans. _Holy Christ, I will never wed again!_ Alice was returning from wherever she came from and carrying yet another dress; oblivious to its bulkiness and obviously annoyed at the attendant for being too slow to follow her specific whims. She insisted I unzip the dress I was wearing which had to be the 20th dress of the day. _Shit, shit!_

She literally pushed the dress to me, as if saying that it needed to be tried on as soon as possible.

"You're a pushy little thing aren't you?" I snapped at her irritatingly. She just gave me a big smile, and gestured for me to continue trying it on. I finally did and turned around to look at my reflection. I hadn't clearly seen the full effect of the dress on me when Alice squealed.

"Oh my God Isabella, that's it! That's the perfect dress! Perfect for you!" she gasped rapidly, clearly from her own excitement.

My irritation must have been clear on my face because Rosalie leaned and whispered in my ear, "You want me to smack her for you?"

I giggled at that. It was one of the many reasons why I loved Rose, and why she was my best friend, she always had my back, ready to do battle with anyone for me, even if that someone was my future sister-in-law.

I turned around to see my reflection in the mirror. The dress was a halter; the v-neckline plunged just below the breast area with a black satin sash around the waist to separate the satin skirt that flowed down freely from the upper half of the dress. The whole gown shouted ethereal beauty.

Alice was right about the dress, it looked best on me, not to mention it was a perfect fit. We ended the fitting with Alice charging the offensive cost to Edward's account despite my vehement protest. _That irritating piece of ass!_

The other displeasing thing the little munchkin did was insist on us spending a night in the city to which Rosalie quickly agreed. Alice set us up in the Cullen's newest condominium building in an upscale area of the metro. Accordingly, the security was tight and would provide Edward some assurance that we would be safe. Alice informed us that Edward would be joining us for dinner, which suddenly made me wary of Jacob being around.

I hadn't seen Edward after the meeting in Seattle, but he constantly called me to check up on things, or wishfully on my part, to check up on me. This dinner would be the last time we would be seeing each other before we met at the altar to say our vows.

Alice brought us up to what looked liked the penthouse of the building. "I had this prepared for your visit here today," she confidently informed us, making it clear that she had no doubt that her offer for us to stay here for the night would be accepted.

The suite as expected, was big and styled with the utmost expensive ornate there was, and had a masculine side to it that left no doubt as to who owned the said condominium.

Rosalie and Jacob stood beside me as we waited for Alice to finish instructing the house help on things she wanted to have completed. Quil and Embry were also in attendance, silently checking the surrounding area.

Alice, upon completing her instructions to the help, motioned we follow her and pointed us to each of our rooms, giving me what looked to be the master bedroom. Rosalie, who was so sure we would be spending the night in the city, had packed each of us a set of clothes and instructed Quil and Embry on which bags to deliver to which room.

When we were back in the living room, after all our belongings were in place, I noticed that Jacob was agitated and looked extremely tense beside me. I realized that maybe it had something to do with the urgent matter he wanted to discuss.

"Rose darling, I need you to distract the little monster, please. Will you let her take you to do something because I need to talk to Jake in private," I whispered to her. "Also you need to take those two with you," I nodded towards Embry and Quil.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked in a cautious voice. "You know I don't trust him."

"Rose, let's not start on that again," I groaned at her. "He is a good friend, even Emmett will agree with me on this."

She frowned in thought before nodding in agreement, strategically taking the entourage when she left through the door. That left me alone with Jacob. I turned to him and spoke first.

"So what's so important that you had to tag along on this trip with us?" I asked with a hint of apprehension.

"I heard that you agreed to go through with the whole marrying Cullen thing and wondered if it's true," he said stiffly. "But since I witnessed you buying a wedding dress first hand, I assume that means you already made the decision."

"What the hell are you talking about Jake?" I mumbled in irritation.

"Bella, he isn't good for you," he said flatly, but what he said next shocked me. "Does he know you OD'ed because of him?"

"How did you know? I mean..." I was speechless. I made sure that nobody knew that he was the Masen, _my Masen_, the one person that everyone in my family went looking for after the incident.

"You underestimate me Bella," he laughed sarcastically. "I'm not as powerful as your family, but I also have my ways."

"It's in the past and mentioning it won't do any of us any good," I looked at him straight in the eyes. He was frowning and his posture expressed the tension he was feeling.

"You think it doesn't fucking matter, really Bella?" he replied, his anger was visible in the way he spoke. "I doubt your brother will think that!"

"Fucking asshole, don't you dare bring Emmett into this!" His mere mention of telling Emmett sent me into a fit of rage. "Look at me Jake, whatever it is you want to say, just fucking say it outright!" I hissed at him, I was clenching and unclenching my fist, trying to prevent myself from punching him.

"I'm in love with you," he said so suddenly that I just stared at me, barely registering what he just said. "I have been fucking in love with you for years!"

"Oh Jake, you know you're like a brother to me," I started, my anger subsiding from the look of desperation I saw in his eyes, but he cut me off.

"I don't want to be your fucking brother Bella!" he hissed. "I want to be the one you love- your lover, your boyfriend or your husband or whatever you call it!"

"Are you crazy Jake?" I asked him, my anger resurfacing. "I don't like you in that way!"

"Your still hung up on Cullen, aren't you?" he said spitefully, the frown on his forehead increasing. I ignored him.

"What about Leah, Jake?" I asked sadly, my heart going out to his girlfriend. "She loves you so much. I know how much she cares about you because its all she talks about!"

"Fuck Leah! I don't fucking care about her!" he shouted as if the mere thought of his girl was offensive to him. "I'll leave her for you, Bella!"

I went and touched his cheek with my palm as I tried to assure him of my friendship. "I care about you Jake, but not like the way you want me to. Not like that." I gave him a small smile to lighten the mood.

"Don't marry him just yet," he said pleadingly, coming closer and pulling my hand from his face and held it on his. "Tell me you won't, please!"

"Oh my God, you fucking know I'm not postponing this marriage," I replied with resignation clear in my voice._ Why did he choose to have this confrontation hereof all places? Goddamn him!_ "You know that we need him."

"No you don't. I can promise you that if you choose me inst-" He was cut mid-sentence by a loud voice followed by a loud banging of the door.

"What the fuck is this?" Edward growled at Jacob, his stare was focused on our entwined hands. I tried to pull my hands away from Jake but was only halfway successful when he suddenly pulled me to him and kissed me on the lips, eliciting a panicked reaction from me that made me push him with all my might and slapped him hard across his face. But the second he released me from his grip, Edward lunged at him and hit him hard on his face. _Holy shit!_

Jacob fell backwards on the floor, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand where a small amount of blood from a cut on his lip was visible. He looked at Edward with a wicked smile. "You just wish a kiss from you would make her cunt as hot as I do."

"You're so fucking dead asshole!" Edward shouted as he slammed into Jacob, punching him on the face again. They scuffled around the floor while Edward's men began moving forward, hesitant whether to meddle or not in a fight where their boss clearly had the upper hand.

Edward grabbed Jake's neck and locked him in a strong chokehold making Jake unable to breathe. I was fed up with the whole thing so I turned around searching for Quil. I went to him and grabbed the gun from his hip. I pulled the trigger, a loud _BANG_ resonated throughout the entire room. The shot hit the mirror located at the far corner of the living room and shards of glass shattered onto the floor.

"If you don't stop this right this fucking minute, the next bullet will be directed at one of you!" I was pointing the gun upwards but my eyes were on Edward and Jacob, daring them to do the opposite. They may have believed that I was serious, which I hardly was because they stopped their attacks immediately.

Everyone in the room stood completely still, shocked at what had just taken place. Alice was in the far corner of the room opposite me, opening and closing her mouth, looking like a fish out of water, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. Rosalie was giving me an awed look, looking like a proud mama of a girl who just received an award.

Edward, looking only a bit rumpled, was soon helped up by his people while Jacob, whose face was bruised from the severe beating he obviously received, slowly stood from his position on his back, holding his nose that was definitely broken. I slowly made my way to Jake, which fuelled another angry tirade from Edward.

"Isabella, get the fuck away from that motherfucker!" he shouted, making his way towards us. I moved a step forward to meet him halfway, and then stopped in front of him, placing a hand on his chest. Staring at him, I repeated myself to him, "Edward, he is only a friend. I'm going to marry you, don't doubt that. I will honor my word."

"He fucking kissed you!" he hissed in a menacing tone, closing his eyes and taking a very deep breath. "No one has the right to do that but me!"

"Technically you don't either," I deadpanned. "I don't want anymore testosterone fueled battles between the two of you, so I am asking you….please just give me a minute to talk to him." I pleaded him with my eyes, needing him to let me go to Jake so I could remove him safely.

He nodded but didn't move from his spot when I turned around to Jacob. I pulled him at the far corner of the living room and confronted him.

"Are you fucking crazy Jake?" I asked him incredulously. I gestured towards Edward without turning my back from Jake. "Do you have a death wish, huh? Because if you did, that was the right fucking shit to do!"

"I can hold my own, in case you didn't notice!" he snapped back. "That single kiss-," holding his now sore face-, "was worth all this shit!"

I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. "Jacob, I'll talk to you when we get back to Seattle, but right now you need to leave. I won't have it in my conscience when Edward decides that he had enough of you." I ushered him out, literally pushing him. "Now go!"

I exhaled a long breath when Jacob followed my advice and left. I made my way back to the living room and saw that no one had moved from their position and were all now looking at me, waiting for my next move. I walked slowly towards Edward but he suddenly stalked my direction and threw me over his shoulder.

"Shit Edward, put me down!" I shouted as I struggled to free myself but it did no good. The gun I was still unconsciously holding dropped with a _thud_ on the tiled floor upon my release on the handle. I didn't know where he was taking me, since I was hanging upside down, looking directly at his ass. I heard him open a door and locked it. I squealed with shock when I was suddenly thrown on a bed. My objections to his caveman actions were lost by him covering my body with his and claiming my mouth in a hard kiss. He sucked on my tongue as if there was no tomorrow and bit my lower lip until it was sore and bruised. All of his aggression was transferred in this single kiss, but to my own surprise I was responding to it with the same ardor as his own.

"Edward, we have to stop," I reluctantly protested in a hoarse voice when the kiss began to lead towards something else.

"I need a distraction or I won't be able to stop from following your fucking friend and rip his fucking head off!" he growled, stopping just a moment from his soft sucking on the exposed area of my collarbone to look me in the eyes. When he saw that I was willing for him to continue after his admission, he changed his attention to my chest. He pulled my shirt up to expose my bra-covered breasts and started kissing one of the swell of flesh exposed, licking one side while the other one was being squeezed and palmed by his opposite hand.

"You still taste so fucking sweet, babygirl!"

He started to rub my nipple with his thumb, hardening it against the fabric of my shirt that brought a moan from my lips. He continued his gentle sucking on the soft skin of my neck. The sensation I was experiencing, both from his touch and kisses, were causing my nether regions to quickly moisten. His steel erection against my thighs only increased the need for friction against my core.

"Babygirl, I want to know something," he murmured so softly and so suddenly while he dragged his lips from my neck to gaze fixedly at me. I was so aroused that I had difficulty concentrating. "Are you on birth control?" I just stared at him blankly, making him think that I wasn't. "Do you have a doctor you can discuss it with?"

He was raising his brow in question, making me realize the implication of what he was saying. "Fuck!"

He chuckled as he caressed my cheeks with his hand. "That's right baby, I'll be fucking you soon but not today apparently," he rasped, clearly affected by the conversation. "Trust, there will be a lot of sex between us and when that happens, I want to feel everything."

My eyes widened and my breathing hitched. "No rubber?"

He shook his head and enforced it with a "No." His smug look was fueling the lust I could feel coursing through my veins. "I am a voracious lover, as you know first-hand, babygirl. I don't want to knock you up before I even started enjoying that delectable body of yours again. Besides, I'm not ready to be a father yet."

I looked at him through my dazed eyes, the desire I was feeling for him clearly reflected on my face. I wrapped my legs around his hips and pulled his head for another kiss, ignoring the warning for caution from my subconscious.

_I don't fucking care whether this a business deal, I just want him!_ Just for now, I would allow myself to dream that this marriage was due to his desire of more than my body, that he still loved me if he ever did, and that his kisses and caresses were a reflection of his love and desire for me. _Just for now..._

We made out like horny teenagers until Alice started banging on the door to remind us of dinner. We both reluctantly pulled apart and made ourselves presentable.

* * *

**The next chapter will be the wedding as well as the honeymoon, so yeah Lemons.**

**Anyway, review is greatly appreciated. Tnx!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Twilight.**

**A/N:**

**1**

**I am again acknowledging those who made their fabulous reviews. You really make my day guys, so thank you!**

**And for those still adding me to their alerts/favorites, I am thrilled because it means you like what I am writing, even though sometimes I am doubting myself.**

**Any ho, hugs and kisses to all of my readers!**

**2**

**This will be in EPOV. I made their first night together a little out of the ordinary, not the conventional honeymoon, so I hope you like it. Enjoy!**

**TERMS:**

**Administration:** the upper-level power structure of an organized crime family, composed of the boss, underboss, and consigliere.

**Consigliere:** the counselor in a crime Family; advises boss and handles disputes within the ranks

**Enforcer:** a person who threatens, maims, or kills someone who doesn't cooperate with Family rules or deals.

**On the record:** an action sanctioned by the Family

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**EPOV**

"Goddammit, J! What the hell happened?" I asked angrily at Jasper. He was sitting opposite me in the living area of the presidential suite at the Swan Olympic Hotel in Seattle, smoking his cigarette and looking so goddamn relaxed.

"Oscar, that motherfucker, was so freaking afraid. If Vicky didn't push him, he would have literally jumped on his own," he said matter-of-factly. Oscar, one of their buttons who was related to some chick working in one of my bars, was the only link to the Volturi we have.

"Didn't I fucking say not to kill him until we got some information out of him?" I growled and brought my fist down on the coffee table making a loud thump that could be heard around the room.

"Don't get too hyped up there, boss," he mocked, calling me by that name only to spite me. "He of course said something about a man named Snake who knows everything about the popping of Swan."

"Well shit J, do we know where this Snake is?" I asked, irritated.

"Edward, relax okay? I got it covered. We are covering grounds as we speak just to locate this man," he said as he stood up still with the cigarette between his lips.

"Was it clean?" I questioned, knowing too well the answer.

"Of course!" he replied. "You fucking know Vicky never leaves a trace that will lead back to us. Never has and never will. She would fucking die before she would allow something to happen to you. I have never understood why her loyalty to you is so strong," he mumbled the last to himself, and I grunted in response.

Victoria was our main enforcer; although, now we only use her when we have a top priority job that needed to be done. She was one of my best-kept weapons against my enemies since nobody knew she was a woman. Doing her job in such a manner they thought it had to be done by a man.

Satisfied with the update he was giving me, I gave him a curt nod. Charlie's death was definitely on the record by the Volturi, but the reason behind it was not solely to conquer Washington alone but there was something else that I was determined to figure out. The person who did the job was the best place to look for answers and I instructed Jasper to do all he could.

I was contemplating on ways to find this Snake person when the voice of my sister interrupted the whole silence of the suite.

"Hey Edward it's after lunch, what are you still doing in your damn pajamas?" she asked irritably. She carried what looked like sets of suits which I could fairly say would be mine and Jasper's, and draped it carefully over the back of the couch. "You will be marrying Isabella in two hours. You should be jumping with joy, not looking like someone whose dog was run over by a car."

"I don't have a fucking dog, Ali," I snapped at her and gave her my famous scowl.

"I know that my dear brother," she said affectionately, unaffected by my sarcasm. "I was trying to humor you. Don't be so goddamn literal!"

She walked slowly to Jasper, took the cigarette from his lips and gave him a long kiss, a kiss that started simple but escalated to a full-blown make-out session.

"Jesus fucking Christ you two! Can you please do that when I am not around?" I hissed at them. _That's what you get by allowing your closest friend to marry your sister. A fucking porno!_

They laughed while still embracing each other but had stopped kissing and moved back to the couch to join me.

"So, why aren't you getting ready yet, Ali? Doesn't it take you forever to fucking dress up?" I looked at her, my smirk in place. She stuck her tongue at me but replied with enthusiasm.

"I will be going to Isabella's room in half an hour. Don't worry about me brother, I'll definitely be gorgeous!" she said smugly. "Not as stunning as your bride, but enough to entice…" she pinched Jasper's cheek with her right hand "…Mr. Whitlock here."

He grinned at her stupidly, but then turned to me and gave me the look he used when he was in business mode.

"I checked with the Swan's security, they have the church and the grounds secured. I will still make sure that Seth and Alistair do one more sweep of the area," Jasper informed me of the measures that were taken to ensure nobody would get the chance to attack. Alistair was second in command after Jasper, working closely with Jasper on everything he did. When he gave the signal that everything was ok, it meant that it was perfectly fucking ok.

I nodded my head in agreement. I was sure Jasper, who has been effective in everything, had all things under control. Of course I had no doubt Emmett would take extra precautionary measures. The administration of both parties was in attendance so the opportunity to strike was high but would most likely not happen. Well it wouldn't on Jasper's watch and definitely not on mine.

The ceremony was only mere hours away, and the thought of my bride getting all ready to walk the aisle with me made me all giddy and shit. She was the only one who ever made me feel like a fucking stupid moron, but I had long ago accepted the power she had over me. _She will be officially mine!_

"The Bahamas are clean so no need for you to worry about your honeymoon," he informed me of the last vital information I needed for this occasion.

"Edward, were you able to see the church and banquet hall? These places are beautiful," Alice added, changing the subject to a more suitable topic for her.

"Ali, you damn well know I don't fucking care how it looks! As long as the place's safe and secure and Isabella is the bride, I can wed in the fucking dumpster for all I care!" Informing her in my usual brusque manner.

"What a fucking romantic you are," she said sarcastically, crushed by my lack of enthusiasm on the things that were important to girls. "I think you have to get ready because the ceremony will start in just a couple of hours."

I raised my brow at her, giving an incredulous expression to her absurd suggestion. I knew the amount of time I needed to prepare and it definitely was not the amount she hinted.

The three of us continued with our chat for a little while longer until Alice needed to get up and go get ready in Bella's room which was just a couple of rooms away. She promised to come back to check on the two us before going to the church. She made good on her promise and was back to adjust our tuxedos only minutes before we left for the ceremony.

It was a few minutes before the ceremony was to start and I was already in front of the altar waiting for Bella to make her entrance. I was fixated on my tie, adjusting and readjusting it to ease the tension I was feeling. Jasper who was my best man, stood beside me while observing my nervousness with his usual calm demeanor, giving me a lazy smirk because he was front row seat to a rare and momentous occasion where my anxiety was blatantly obvious to him. At exactly 3 pm, the wedding march started and my normal heartbeat increased significantly as the anticipation of seeing Bella in her wedding dress began to get to me. The bridesmaids, including Alice, looked magnificent in their apple green gowns. Rosalie, the maid of honor, whose gown differs from the others, looked beautiful in her one-shouldered moss green and pink gown.

Everybody was looking great, but when Bella appeared my breath caught in my throat. _She was so fucking beautiful!_ The dress on her only emphasized the already gorgeous face and body. Her hair was tied in a soft side ponytail, adorned with crystals, and accentuating her delicate features. She was smiling as she walked arm in arm with Emmett, who was walking her down the aisle in place of Charlie, looking like a vision out of my dreams. When her eyes landed on mine, it was like somebody punched my stomach, as another breath was sucked out of me. When she smiled at me, I thought I would die. _Fucking exquisite! And she's mine!_

The whole ceremony was a blur to me; all I was aware of was the woman who stood beside me. She was smiling while she said her vows before I said mine. The serenity radiating from her made me gloat in satisfaction. I had always been a cocky bastard, but now I was cockier than ever before, all because I had this woman next to me that I got to call my wife.

After the ceremonial rights, the required pictures were taken with each of the family in attendance. Even that fucking bastard friend of hers was included in one.

The return to the hotel gave me a chance to introduce her to Carlisle, my father's brother, and his wife, Esme. The death of my father three years ago catapulted my relationship with Carlisle from just nephew-uncle to him being our _Consigliere_. Coincidentally, Carlisle was in an accident days before Edward Sr.'s heart attack that left him disabled and unable to replace as the leader of our unit, forcing me to become the Boss.

"Bella this is Carlisle, my uncle," I held her close to me, my arm around her waist as I positioned us in front of Carlisle, even though he wouldn't be able to see the beauty that was my wife. I was happy that Bella had given me permission to use her preferred name a couple of days ago.

Carlisle was seated with Esme, his glassy blind eyes were obvious against his pale skin, but he gave us a smile as I kissed him on his cheek. "And this is his beautiful wife, Esme." I turned and gave her a hug.

"It's nice meeting you Carlisle, Esme," she said as she leaned over to kiss Carlisle's cheek as well as Esme's, not commenting about his blindness.

"My nephew found a girl that can handle all his shit, finally!" Carlisle joked, as a look of adoration crossed his face. "And because of that Bella, I like you already." He took her hand, with Esme's help, and kissed it softly.

"I haven't been married to him for an entire day so we'll have to see about that," she jokingly bantered back.

"Now I can see why he is so enamored by you," Esme interjected this time. "Remember dear, don't let him bully you."

She rolled her eyes and laughed, making me join in soon enough. Our conversation with them continued a little while longer, she was being her usual feisty self while I waited patiently for her to finish, all the while holding her hand between mine and rubbing small circles on her palm.

I held her hand the entire time we were entertaining guests in the banquet, only releasing it when she wanted to dance with Emmett and some of her other friends. The food we had served was delicious, and the wine that passed around, were of their finest. I mingled with only a very few guests, not only because I didn't know most of them, but because I was so enthralled with the beauty next to me. I was unwilling to part with her for more than a minute. She made the rounds to mingle, to ensure that everyone believed our marriage was the real deal.

After making sure that everything and everyone was satisfied with the night, she eventually relented to her exhaustion. When we returned to her room, I quickly locked the door and went to her. I grabbed her and wrapped my arms around her hips.

"Edward, what are you doing?" she asked, surprised. "I need to change into more comfortable clothes for the flight."

"Don't worry babe, I cancelled it. We'll be flying out tomorrow instead." I was rubbing her exposed arms, giving her a warm smile.

"What?" she implored incredulously.

"I really want to fuck you tonight," I whispered in her ears as I rubbed circles on her back. "And I can't do that if we'll be on the plane the entire night."

"Oh," was her response, as her cheeks reddened. I tipped her chin with my fingers, forcing her to look at me. Then when I couldn't take it any longer, I fused my mouth against hers. Her arms slowly crept around my neck to lock herself against me, her tongue tangling with mine sending waves of desire throughout my entire body, and directly to my cock. I pulled my mouth from hers for a much needed breath and made my way to a sensitive area of her neck and started to softly caress the area with my lips as I tried to unzip her dress.

"You really look stunning in this," I murmured hoarsely at her, "but it has to go."

I undid the clasp of the halter and allowed the fabric to fall down her feet. I also removed the tie with bejeweled crystals that held her up-do in place to let her gorgeous hair fall down her back.

I stepped back to get a full view of her body. She was now naked, except for the very tiny white-laced panties that hugged her slim waist and the very high-heels on her feet that made her legs look a mile long. Her breasts were beautiful, not too big, but not that small; her pink nipples were puckered, a telltale sign that she was aroused as I was. She was biting her lower lip, her brows arched in challenge.

"Oh Bella, you are so gonna get it," I promised her arrogantly. "Hard." I pulled her to me and hoisted her up. She hitched her legs around my hips, so I was carrying her as I backed up to the big couch located at the corner of the room. I sat us down with her straddling my lap. We tongue-fucked each other as I ground my hips against hers. My massive erection hitting her hot core through the fabric of her panties leaving no doubt of the desire I had for her. I removed my lips from her to slowly palm both her breasts in each of my hands, squeezing and rubbing the already hardened peaks with my thumbs. While I massaged her breasts she unbuttoned my shirt, pushed it open and slid it off my shoulders to join the suit jacket on the floor.

"Oh shit….ungh." Her moans were fueling my desire. She looked so hot with her eyes closed, and her head thrown back.

"Babygirl, your tits feel so soft," I rasped as I moved my hand from her breasts to support her back, anticipating her reaction to what I would do next. I licked one of her peaks before taking it into my mouth then started gently sucking on her nipple. Bella arched her body forward to give me more access to her breast, bending her back which surely made her tumble backwards to the floor had I not been holding her for support. I nipped and sucked alternately, eliciting another moan from her. "They fucking taste so delicious!" I said to her.

"Edward, don't….ungh, stop…oh," she moaned. She was clutching my arm so hard her nails were digging into my skin.

The pain woke me from my dazed state and suddenly I froze. The reaction I was getting from her was so different from the one I remembered from New York; the shy little kisses and caresses in response to my experienced ones. This Isabella seemed more sexually confident and assured in her actions than the girl I knew back then. The thought someone else had touched her and that all of these new reactions coming from her body must have been learned from one of her lovers only fueled my anger.

I pushed her off of me, and proceeded to stand up and walk to the liquor cabinet set at one corner of the room, to fix myself a drink. The surge of anger and jealousy I was feeling right at this moment stemmed from not knowing the important aspects of her life for the past few years. Even though her activities were carefully monitored, I couldn't confidently affirm she had not been sexually involved with anyone after me. There was only so much a person could gather from observing outside the confines of their homes and establishments.

I turned to her with a frown on my face, only to be greeted with a frown of her own.

"What the hell Cullen? I thought you wanted this with me," she cried out in frustration, looking like an enraged angel sitting sexily on the couch.

"How many?" I needed to know so I asked. _I am such a motherfucking asshole!_

"How many what?" She asked, clearly irritated with my attitude. I finished the vodka in one big gulp and sat the glass back on the table before making the question clear.

"Men," I asked as I walked slowly to her, my anger slowly resurfacing while I anticipated her answer. My eyes never leaving hers, wanting to see if she would lie to me. "How many men enjoyed that delectable body of yours?"

"What?" she looked up with confusion in her eyes.

"How many have you fucked?" I emphasized fiercely. Her eyes widened once realization of what I said registered in her brain.

"You are such a fucking hypocrite!" she yelled furiously as she stood up, quickly picking up my shirt from the floor to cover her body. " I found you with that slut and now you have the nerve to question how many men I fucked?"

She turned to move towards the bedroom, but I grabbed her arm. I remembered the girl she caught me in bed with. I even remembered the words I told her, the words I hurled at her intending to hurt her. But I didn't want to go there just yet because fuck, I needed to know about this.

"Bella, I fucking need to know," I asked, my voice filled with desperation. She looked at my hand gripping her arm to alert me to the pain I was causing, but at the moment I couldn't find it in me to care as I waited for her response.

"Well goddamn, if you really want to know, asshole, I had one lover!" she spat as my breath hitched with that answer.

Since I made the choice to be in this predicament I didn't want to leave anything uncovered. "Who?"

"Are you kidding me!" she shouted at me. She was so angry she raised her hand intending to slap me, but went against it and turned around to leave me there standing in the living area of the hotel room. "Fuck you, Cullen!"

I didn't allow her to get far as I reached for her hand and spun her around. "Who was the motherfucker who had the audacity to take what is mine?" I asked her in a deadly voice, clearly conveying the anger that was consuming every inch of my body.

"It is so nice of you to insult that asshole," she said in the same tenor of voice I was using, "because that motherfucker is no other than Edward fucking Masen! That's you, you sorry son of a bitch!" She turned as she finished her admission. I stood stunned at what she just admitted and finally released the breath I was holding. I was so relieved I quickly ran after her. I caught up to her just as she was about to enter the bath.

"Are you telling me…," I asked, my voice expectant.

"Yes, you're the only-,"

I didn't let her finish as I captured her lips forcing them open and snaked my tongue inside her mouth. She tried to push me, but was making a futile effort. She made me move away just a little to give her room to breathe.

"Goddammit Edward!" she hissed as she struggled against me. I held firm, refusing to let go.

"Babygir!," I whispered, making soft kisses against her jaw while holding her tight on her waist. "You don't know how fucking happy I am to know that."

"Edward, your mood swings are giving me whiplash," she said so softly, but with a resigned voice.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," I whispered against her mouth. "We'll talk about this some other time, tomorrow if you want, just not right now. I need to feel you. Please let me have your body."

She looked at me with a frown and I gave her my most dazzling smile, intent on impressing her so she would give me a chance. It worked. She jumped so suddenly wrapping her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck, kissing me hard on the lips. _I'll be damned! My wife wants me as much as I want her!_

I walked backwards as I continued to ravish her mouth, supporting her with one hand on her ass while the other was trying to push my shirt from her shoulders to remove it completely. When the back of my legs touched the bed, I turned around and gently laid her on top of the comforter. I removed the lacy panties, which was the last piece of clothing on her, as quickly as I could. I stood looking at her while I deftly removed every scrap of clothing left on my body, leaving it in a pool around my feet.

I covered my naked body with hers, relishing in the softness of her skin against mine, the electricity that shot through me whenever we touched only intensified. Her naked breasts were pressed against my chest as she wrapped her hands around my neck to tangle her fingers in my hair. I felt her give my hair a tug when I bit her lower lip. I really wanted to devour her mouth again but the desire to feel her surround my cock just couldn't wait any longer. I needed to be inside her, to feel her warmth around my shaft. I spread her legs and held her thighs apart and aligned my cock with her entrance. The confirmation I needed, the small smile as she bit her lip, was apparent on her face. I thrust firmly and I was inside. _Holy shit! This feels so fucking good!_

"Holy shit!" I shifted, eliciting a loud moan from both of us. I allowed her time to accommodate my size before I began moving.

I pulled out slowly and pushed back in, and began repeating the process over and over again. Each thrust I made became increasingly hard, but they were being met by the gorgeous vixen underneath me, bucking her own hips to mine.

"Oh…..God….Masen," she moaned incoherently.

"I fucking love it when you call me that," I rasped out, still fucking her hard. My cock was sliding in and out of her warm, wet core. "Babygirl, you're so fucking tight! Ahh…fuck!"

"Yes, fuck me!" she screamed. Her head was thrashing around on the mattress, and her movements were having some kind of effect on my penetration, a very good kind of effect. "I need it harder!"

I plowed into her, driving in hard and strong. I thought momentarily that I might hurt her, but judging from the response I was getting from her body and the moans coming from deep in her chest, I continued to slide in and out of her pussy with as much force as we could handle, the movement making the bed creak.

"Shit, baby….it feels so fucking good to be inside you!" I moaned, holding one of her ankles up on my shoulder. I pushed again and hit her most sensitive spot and embedding my cock even deeper inside her. Her walls were quivering, a sure sign she was nearing her orgasm, as I continued to pound inside faster and harder.

"Please…oh…..oh!"

Her walls clenched around my cock as she came. "Shit Masen!"

I continued to move slowly this time, helping her ride out her orgasm, but making sure she knew we weren't finished just yet. Just as she slumped against the mattress, I gathered her legs up and held them up against my head as I slammed my cock into her, again and again, feeling her begin to contract yet again.

"That's it baby, ahhhh…..fuck." I pushed again, releasing inside her as my own orgasm hit me with the force that was unexpected.

I rolled us over so her sweaty body was on top of mine, but my dick was still cozy inside her body. I waited until both our breathing steadied before I stood and went to the bathroom to clean up and brought back a towel to clean her up.

After I moved Isabella, I slid under the covers and pulled her close. She turned to look at me and I began to apologize, "Bella, I'm sorry."

She raised her brows in question. I rubbed my knuckles on her cheeks. "Remember I told you I will make you come at least three times before I do?" I was referring to the promise I made during our time in New York. She nodded in confirmation. "And I wasn't able to do that tonight."

"It was really okay, Edward," she said softly, as she gave me a small smile, her eyes fluttering shut. I pulled her ankle to hitch her leg on my waist, forcing her to hug me with both her arms and legs. She didn't seem to mind as she snuggled against my neck, just the way she did when we were together long ago, and succumbed to her fatigue. I was content on holding her close and listening to her ragged breathing even out, until my own exhaustion finally allowed me to follow her into blissful oblivion.

ooooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

I stirred just as I felt soft skin slide against my naked hips. _Bella. _Mmmm…She began grinding her hips causing my cock to spring to life.

"Are you awake?" she purred and I bucked my hips in response. "Good."

I suddenly felt a sharp, cold metal against my throat. I opened my eyes and frowned at her. "What the fuck, Bella?" She had a knife pointed directly at my jugular vein.

"You started this and I intend to finish it," she said smugly. "Now that I have your undivided attention, you tell me Cullen, will this," she was gesturing her finger between us, "be like what we had in New York, huh?"

She moved the knife closer to my skin as she emphasized she was serious. "Will I one day find a fucking girl in our bed?" The word _our_ together with the word _bed_, did something to my already raging erection.

"No," I said hoarsely, my lust for her doubled with what she was doing. _You're really fucked up for getting hard over this!_ I was more concerned of her reaction to my erect cock that was pressing against her covered pussy than the knife she was pointing at me. She was wearing a silky, bronze-colored robe that covered her breasts as well as a portion of her thighs. I was determined to remove it as soon as possible.

"You wanted my body, and I've given it to you. I just want to make something extremely clear," she said so seriously as she bent down, her nose touching mine. "I won't be sharing you with anyone, understood? I won't be made a fool again."

"Of course, babygirl."

"Are you just saying this because I am pressing a knife to your throat?"

"No, babe. I wouldn't want it any other way." I gave her a wide grin, making sure to show I was agreeing to her terms of exclusivity and that I didn't want anyone else. The look she was giving me was one of skepticism, so I grabbed her available hand and put it over my chest, just above my heart. "I promise Bella."

She nodded, but didn't make a move to remove the knife. We were staring at each other, assessing each other's mood.

I got tired of our situation so I checked her concentration. I bucked my hips and noticed her distraction, so I quickly and effectively removed the knife from her hand as she gasped in shock.

"My turn, babygirl," I said seductively and flipped us over.

* * *

**I know I cut it short, sorry! I didn't want it to be long, and it is going to be if I didn't do that**.

**The good news is, their honeymoon will be continued next chapter. And as you can guess, some of your questions on their past relationship will be answered. ;-) So see you next update, see you Thursday.**

**Don't forget to tell me what you thought about this chapter. Please review! Thanks.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Twilight. Just this plot.**

**A/N:**

**Thank you to all the readers who make time to review as well as to those who still added me to their favorites/alerts. You always make me smile. ;D**

**So I said last chapter that there will be revelations here, unfortunately while I was writing this one I had difficulty incorporating these revelations in their honeymoon, so I decided to postpone it for later. But the good news is, since this story is not an angsty one, it will come sooner than you'd be expecting.**

**Anyway, this is a continuation of their honeymoon, so expect it to be steamy...or at least I hope it is. :D**

**I really really hope you enjoy reading this!**

**See yah at the end.**

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**BPOV**

_How the hell did this happen?_

I was now on my back with Edward lying on top of me, both my hands were above my head. He was using one hand to hold it together firmly and was looking extremely satisfied with himself. I bit my lip as I watched him lick his, trying my best not to show that I was turned on by his actions. He was holding my knife with his other hand, turning it around with his fingers as he continued to look at me with dark, lust-filled eyes.

"Well, babygirl, let me see what you are hiding under this robe of yours," he murmured against my jaw before moving to open my silk robe with the hand clutching the knife, skillfully avoiding cutting me. "Hmm… very sexy," he said as he checked out my lacy purple bra and its miniscule panty pair I put on while he was sleeping. He slowly flattened the knife against my skin and slid it to the front clasp of my bra, cutting it open with the flick of the sharp knife.

"Holy shit," I gasped in shock as the cold metal hit my heated skin. His talent with the knife was arousing me even more causing wetness to seep from my core. I closed my legs and rubbed them together for some much needed friction, but Edward had another idea and placed one of his knees between my thighs to nudge them open. He did the same with the purple panties as he did the bra, cutting the string holding the sides together with just a flick of the knife, effectively removing and tossing the scrap of cloth to the floor.

"Now that we have that out of the way," he whispered in my ears, throwing the knife over his shoulder to join my bra and panties on the floor. "We can resume where we left off last night, Mrs. Cullen."

Edward calling me _Mrs. Cullen_ seemed to affect my girly parts as well, making me tingle all over. He released my hands as he slowly made his way back to my neck, giving soft open-mouth kisses to the sensitive skin. He was now preoccupied with my neck so I took the chance and slowly moved my hands down to his thighs and grabbed his balls. Hard.

"Shiiiiit!" he yelled, as I started to squeeze harder causing his face to contort in pain. I released his boys, quickly stood up, closing my robe that he forced open and turned around to face him. He was kneeling on the bed, his face buried in the mattress, mumbling numerous expletives that I couldn't understand, while holding his balls in his hands.

I smiled a satisfied smile as I waited. When he was controlled, he rolled over so he was now lying flat on his back. I returned his glare with a smirk. "What the hell was that for?"

"That was for last night you asshole!" I snapped at him, still clutching the belt that tied the robe together. "You thought I wouldn't make you pay for that shit?" I smirked. "After that, I can now say we're even."

I blew him a kiss before turning around to go into the bathroom.

_Fucking asshole! Thinking I would just forget about the fucking inquisition last night. _He had another thing going for him if he really thought I would just let that go. This marriage didn't give him the right to fucking control me.

I removed the robe and what was left of the bra before going inside the posh bathroom to have a much-needed bath. I turned on the taps and stepped under them to let the hot water wash over me. I was rubbing the shampoo on my hair when I felt Edward join me. He was naked as the day he was born and clearly over the shit I just pulled in the bedroom.

"Let me do that," he said, but made no move to touch me, waiting for my affirmation. I was hesitant to let him touch me in anyway, not after that showdown we just had a minute ago. But being in a confined space and starting an argument with him would not have a good ending for me, so I reluctantly agreed.

It seemed as if I was completely being compliant nowadays, no thanks to him. It was really starting to piss me off because I didn't want to be that way. He continued rubbing shampoo on my hair while massaging my scalp at the same time. To my surprise and utter irritation, I found I was immensely enjoying it. This continued for a couple more minutes before he decided to turn me around, bending towards me so he could look me directly in the eye.

"I didn't sleep with her," he turned the taps off as he examined me with the most serious expression on his face. I frowned at him, trying to decipher what he meant for just a nanosecond before realization hit me. _Fucking shit!_ I ignored him and started soaping my body. He was so silent the whole time allowing me to finish my shower.

"Did you hear what I said?" he asked, a hint of irritation clear in his voice. "I said I didn't fuck her! I needed for you to stay away from me, so I did that." I continued to soap my body and quickly rinsed so I could get away from him. I was not interested in his desire to confess what he insisted he didn't do.

"Bella," he started, but I interrupted him.

"Don't!" I told him, displeased at yet another disastrous conversation with him. I stepped out of the bathroom and grabbed a towel to dry myself before snatching the robe I discarded earlier to cover myself up. _Stupid asshole bringing all that shit from the past!_

My hands were trembling, a notable sign that the shit he was attempting to start was affecting me. Not bothering to dress, I went inside the room to call room service, intending to have my breakfast or lunch, as it was almost that time of the day, brought up to us. I knew I should have been hungry since my last food intake was the night before but I wasn't. However, I needed the distraction, and food was the best option right now.

After placing the call, I turned to find Edward leaning on the doorframe, already in tight dark jeans and a yellow shirt. His feet were bare and for reasons I couldn't explain, I found that incredibly sexy. I gulped and tried to mask my thoughts with a frown. His unwavering stare unnerved me so I pulled my gaze from him to my toes.

"Bella, I need to tell you," I heard him say with supplication. My anger, which was already brewing a steady steam, was now in full appearance. _What the hell is this?_

"What good do you think it'll do Cullen, huh?" I asked him, seething. "You want to dredge up all that shit I already put behind me? How fucking considerate of you!" _Oh my God. He can't expect me to relive that horrible time in my life._

"You as my wife owe me that," he stated arrogantly. _He did not just go there. _"Our future depends on it."

"I don't owe you shit!" I spat at him. "And what future are you talking about? We have a business agreement, nothing more!" I was livid. "You know, I am already starting to regret marrying you Cullen!"

I didn't intend to say those words because I didn't know what I would do if he decided to back out of our deal, but my personal issues as well as my annoyance to his provocation prevented me from thinking or speaking rationally. He advanced towards me; his look was murderous as he spun me around. He seemed to have grabbed a tie during my internal musing because he was now effectively using it to tie both my hands at my back. He then pushed me down on the bed, lying on his side next to me. "God, you are so stubborn! Sometimes I wish I could kick your ass!"

"Just try that, Cullen!"

"Babygirl, stop calling me Cullen," he said with a smirk on his lips. "Remember, you're also a Cullen now. And I prefer you to call me Masen," he said with a wink.

I scowled at him. _He was such an asshole!_ "Goddammit, you're insufferable!"

He looked at me with a frown on his face. _Please God, don't let him come another inch closer to me._ His proximity had dangerous effects on me; fucks up my concentration and makes me submit easily to his wiles. Take the night before for example: instead of beating the shit out of him for demanding to know how many men I fucked, I unintentionally told him I had not been with anyone else, only serving to satisfy his already enormous ego that led us to yet another round of hot, sweaty sex. After all that, he still managed to pin me underneath him again. _Fuck my life!_

"Hmmm," he said seductively as he ran his finger in between the exposed skin of my chest. "Do you think all of this between us is just business?" He slowly opened my robe to expose my naked body. "You think there will never be anything between us except business, babygirl? It'll be extremely pleasurable for me to prove to you otherwise." I tried to wiggle, showing him I didn't agree to what he was about to do, but his hand on my hips prevented me from doing much else.

He slowly made opened mouth kisses from my jaw, to my neck, and down to the valley between my breasts. He licked the skin there while he pushed the robe off of my shoulders, removing it completely and leaving me bare before him. He lifted himself up to give my body a once over before leaning forward to take one nipple in his mouth as he rolled the other one between his thumb and forefinger. He flicked his tongue around my nipple, making me whimper against him and arching my back to give him a better access. He shifted his attention to the other breast and gave it the same affection as the first, all the while making the moisture seep between my legs.

"Shit," I tried to remain passive and hold out on the moan that was threatening to break through my lips, but when he bit down on my nipple, the whimper of pleasure escaped my mouth. His other hand began to slide down my stomach, his rough hands causing my skin to tingle from its light touches. His hand moved towards the inner portion of my thighs. His thumb made small circles on the sensitive skin there, which caused another rush of moisture to pool out of my hot core and onto the sheets.

"Oh my, my," he said smugly when his fingers finally made contact with my pussy, "You're so wet babygirl." He then proceeded to rub my nub with his thumb. "Is this the way you touch yourself?"

"Please…Oh," I mumbled, not caring whether I proved myself wrong again. _Shit, shit!_ My desire spiraled out of control. He continued with his ministrations, already knowing what I wanted but choosing to ignore it.

"Tell me what you want," he whispered in my ear, his hot breathe against my skin arousing me a little more. He teased my entrance with his middle finger.

"Please don't tease," I begged. "I need to feel it inside."

Without giving a response he inserted one finger quickly followed by another and started moving them in and out of my center. I was bucking my hips against his hand to show my need of deeper penetration.

"Faster!" I moaned and wiggled because it was all I could do with my hands tied behind my back. He curled his fingers and I could feel the pressure in my stomach spike. "Holy….fuck!"

"Does that feel good, babe?" He rasped out as he continued to fuck me with his fingers, increasing his pace by the second. His fingers were hitting the right spots and my walls started to quiver shortly thereafter as I felt the tension build.

"Fuucck!" I screamed in pleasure as my body exploded, my walls contracting around his fingers. He was watching my face with hungry eyes; his breathing was heavy as he fought to stay in control of his own desire.

"God Bella, that was so hot!" he said hoarsely as his fingers started to move within me again. "Watching you cum was incredible," he slowly raised his fingers to his lips, sucking them greedily as I watched him enjoy my juices. He smirked and looked oh so satisfied with himself_. _"So wife, you still think it's all business shit between us?" He mocked me and raised his brow in challenge.

I closed my eyes so he would not see confirmation. It had already been established just by a touch from his hands that he drove me crazy and that didn't make for good business. I sighed in frustration when I felt him press against me. _What had I gotten myself into?_

"Bella, I already told you in the shower," he said softly as he nibbled my earlobe. I struggled against his weight and the tie around my wrists. "It's up to you. You can ask me why and I'll tell you."

"Edward, I can't," I said as I fought the feeling of hysteria building. I didn't want to talk about it, yet.

Never did I contemplate the past that I thought was gone and buried would be slapped right back in my face, even if I did go through with marrying the man that caused me so much pain. Maybe I had deluded myself into thinking that we could just start anew, never to revisit the memories of the time we had together.

I didn't even think for a second that anything that had happened before may have been false. I was too scared to ask the questions because I wasn't sure I wanted answers; answers that would no doubt still hurt deep in my heart. _Well, goddamn!_ Even if he were willing to tell me the reason he lied to me, if he was being truthful, I would still be livid because that would open a new set of questions that I would need answered, and I didn't think I was ready for that yet.

He raised himself so he could see my face clearly. He reached out to touch my cheeks, but I turned my face to the side to dodge his touch. "Please, don't do this now. Whatever the reasons for your actions-" I saw the pleading look in his eyes, "it won't change the fact that we are here now, in this fucked up situation." He sighed in resignation.

"Okay. We'll talk about this another time," he said in defeat. He untied my hands and rubbed the area where the cloth chaffed my wrists. "So, are we still going to the Bahamas?" He smiled a small smile.

I was not interested in continuing our honeymoon anymore. "Can we…can we not go? I'm really not interested anymore," I asked, biting my lips. I could feel his burning gaze, and I averted my eyes to the ceiling. I felt his hand rub my hip so I pulled my gaze back to him.

"You know I'll give you whatever you want, babygirl," he tenderly said, his eyes soft. "Say the word and it's yours."

I gave him a forced smile; however, I brought my wall back up because I was already afraid Edward held my heart in his hands yet again.

"I'll cancel our trip to the Bahamas," he informed me as he released my chin and walked towards the door that would lead him out into the living area. He turned to me slightly and said, "We can always continue this honeymoon in Chicago." He grinned smugly and left the room before I even got the chance to give him my reply.

I stood up slowly. _God, what am I doing? Why did I go through with this?_ I was so fucked. I couldn't keep my feelings and my body separate. There was a reason I refused to sleep with anyone after Edward. I didn't feel anything remotely close to what I felt for him, and anything less wasn't good enough to satisfy the carnal cravings of my body. I wasn't too upset since I didn't have the drama in my life that goes with having a sexual relationship with someone.

Edward was different than the rest. Every time he was close I felt like a fucking horny teenager. I loved that he couldn't get enough of my body. He was always ready for a fuck. _Oh Bella, just admit that you're a slut when it comes to him._ I groaned. _What am I gonna do?_ I married him to protect my family. He said he married me for my body, but I also think he had a vested interest in Washington.

_How can I say no? That's what I agreed to_. I made it clear that he could fuck me whenever he wanted to, and God knows I wanted him to. I dropped my face to my hands. _I was so fucked._

ooooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

We were in flight to Chicago, having left Seattle around 3:00 p.m. I knew I was going to have to settle into a new life in Chicago, but I was a bit skeptical about it. I was sheltered and pampered my entire life and the separation from my family scared me even though Quil would be with me in this new city. Rosalie cried when I said goodbye earlier, making me more depressed than I already was. She was only appeased by my promise that I would be in Seattle at least once a month.

The cabin of the plane was filled with Edward's posse, who gathered around Edward as he settled on the couch at the far back of the cabin. I opted to sit up close to the pit and read a book I brought with me and tried desperately to focus on the story rather than on thoughts of Edward. I sighed and closed my eyes, eventually gave in to the exhaustion from the day's activities.

When I awoke, the plane was descending. We were soon disembarking and on our way to wherever he decided to take me. The limo stopped in front of a high-rise building and Edward urged me to exit. He then took my hand and led me to the elevator. _So I guess this is his home._ He remained silent the whole time we were in the elevator; his men followed us in silence. We stopped at the 33rd floor where we were greeted by security who was posted outside the door to Edward's penthouse suite.

The apartment was huge and with the double-locked steel doors, looked to be completely secure from any form of threats that could cause us harm. Marcus and Seth were the only ones allowed inside since they were the most trusted and loyal men he had. Quil was now included in that circle.

Edward gave me a quick tour of the suite and insisted I be acquainted with every room. When he was satisfied I saw everything I needed to see, he spoke to Seth before he pulled me towards a long hallway. We approached another carefully concealed steel door and he pushed it open to reveal the master bedroom. A living area was set up in one corner of the room; the sofa appeared to be warm and inviting. In the middle of the room stood an extremely large bed that could easily sleep five people. I saw the bed and imagined him tangled in the sheets with another girl. That thought made my blood boil. I quickly turned around to confront him.

"Is that bed clean?" I asked him suspiciously.

"What do you mean Bella?" He asked with a knowing smile playing at his lips.

"That better be a new bed," I informed him, irritated by the jealousy I was feeling on thoughts of him with different women. "Don't expect me to sleep there if it's not."

"Well, if you would like to know whether I brought women here and fucked them on that bed," he was saying matter-of-factly, as he continued to look at me smugly, "the answer, babygirl, is no."

As I released a breath I unknowingly held, he laughed and said, "You are adorable when you're jealous."

"I am not jealous!" I stomped my foot at his suggestion. His grin widened, completely amused by my reaction.

"You're the only one I'll be fucking on that bed," he rasped out. "And I would love to start that now."

After his seductive suggestion, he spun me around and pulled me to him to kiss me roughly. He forced his tongue into my mouth and fought for dominance against my own. _My hormones were fucking with my own desire to stay away from him. Damn it!_ My hands involuntarily snaked their way around his neck and I slid my fingers through his hair.

He squeezed my ass and pulled me to him. I could already feel his massive erection rubbing against my stomach. He pulled his mouth away and proceeded to remove my thin blouse and skirt, leaving me standing before him in only my bra and panties. He stopped for a moment to admire my body.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he muttered before ravishing my mouth again, his tongue stroked my own and sent waves of pleasure coursing through my body. I desperately tried to remove my bra without success so he stopped kissing me long enough to pull the front clasp effectively ripping it and exposing my breast to him.

"Don't worry, I'll buy you a new one," he whispered hoarsely as he nibbled my ear, his hands slipped inside my panties to palm my ass. I clung to him, holding his shirt in my hands while he kissed my neck and chest causing bolts of electricity to course through my veins. He walked us towards the bed while his lips never parted from mine. He pushed me onto the bed and he undressed before me as I lay there staring up at him. He had an angel tattoo; a naked girl with long hair, a halo and wings etched on the left side of his chest. His tattooed arms contained artwork that wasn't discernable from this angle.

He deftly removed my panties before he crawled on top of me, kissing and sucking on my neck until I was sure he had left his mark on my skin. His continued to kiss my neck and chest as his fingers slowly drifted to my mound. He massaged my clit with his thumb as he slid one finger inside me. I involuntarily bucked against his hand as he added an additional finger, sliding in and out until I cried out in pleasure; my muscles clinched around his fingers. He suddenly removed his hand and stood up from the bed. He then pulled me to the edge leaving my ass barely hanging off the side. He pushed my legs apart with my feet planted widely on the bed. He stared down at my completely exposed center.

"You've got the most beautiful pussy I've ever seen," he continued eyeing my very wet core with intensity as he licked his lips. He rubbed his fingers roughly on the pink lips. "This is fucking mine!"

With that, he dropped to his knees and put his head right in front of my pussy. He blew his breath against my lips causing me to gasp as another wave of desire ran through me. I knew he could see the moisture already evident around my heated core. He dipped his head and inserted two fingers inside while he licked the slit from bottom to top.

"Masen…..ungh," I moaned loudly unable to control the name I called him. Control was impossible around him, especially when he was making me feel like we were back in New York. His finger continued to massage me inside as his tongue swirled around my clit, making me buck my hips against him in a silent request for more. His wrapped his arms around my ass and pulled me closer to him causing my legs to open wider. He took that as an invitation to continue to ravish my already seeping mound. He used his mouth to suck my clit in addition to his relentless finger fucking and I reached my peak again. I could feel juices leaking down my ass from my second orgasm, but he refused to let the juices go to waste and began to lick me dry while moaning and growling his satisfaction.

He stood up and eyed me for a moment before shedding his boxers completely. My eyes shifted from his face to his hips. _God, his cock is really beautiful!_ If I didn't know any better, I would have been concerned that it wouldn't fit inside me. He saw my focus on his steel erection, grabbed it in his right hand and started massaging his shaft in front of me.

"You want my cock inside you, babygirl?" he asked in a raspy voice while he increased his ministrations on his cock. I nodded and bit my lip in acknowledgement.

"Good because you're about to have it all inside you," he informed me as he bent down to align it against my entrance. "Hard. Fast."

He held his cock as he slowly inched his tip inside, but he stopped to gather my ankles and spread them wide in the air. He kept his hands around my ankles and he plunged deep inside my center.

"Fuuuckk!" We both shouted simultaneously from the intense pleasure of having his cock inside me. He started to thrust steadily in and out; his eyes remaining on mine the entire time. He maintained a fast pace, rotating his hips to hit my sweet spot, making me whimper and moan against him in return. His continued to thrust as I felt the coil deep inside begin to tighten as he pushed me to the edge once more causing my pussy to constrict around his cock.

I ran my hands around my flat stomach before moving them to cup and tease my breasts.

"Oh God!" I cried in pure ecstasy, our moans carrying throughout the room. He was still hard inside me as he slowed his pace in order to prolong my orgasm. Just as the final wave of ecstasy hit me, he whispered, "Babygirl, I need you to turn over."

I crawled onto bed with my ass in the air as he settled behind me, his hands gripping around my slim hips.

"Is this alright?" he murmured against my back. I nodded as he slammed into my hot, wet pussy. _Shit, that feels good!_

"Baby…oh….so tight….so…fuck!" He moaned incoherently as he plunged in and out of my pussy, his thigh slamming against mine. He softly bit the sensitive skin of my shoulders the force of his thrusts increased. I felt his cock twitch as my walls tightened around him once again. He continued with his rhythmic pounding until I felt another orgasm building. "Again baby! One more!"

"Make me! Fucking make me!" I shouted as a response to his cry to cum again. His plunged his cock hard and fast as I felt the tension increasing again. He bit down on my shoulder as he thrust harder than ever before. The pain together with his hard pounding sent me soaring higher than I knew possible; milking him as he gave in to his own desire to release. He continued to slide in and out allowing us to ride out our release. His sweaty body sliding against my back letting me feel his heavy breaths. He groaned and reluctantly removed himself from inside of my body as he laid down next to me. He reached to pull me close and turned me around so I was now facing him.

"Jesus, baby girl, you're going to kill me," he said with a sated look on his face, still trying to catch his breath. I grinned at him as I tried to even my breathing and looked at him with a smug smile because I came to a realization that I had the same effect on him as he had on me. That was one thing I definitely planned to use to my advantage.

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	6. Chapter 6

**SM owns everything. I just own the plot.**

**A/N:**

**First off, the reviewers/alerters/recommenders as well as those who still continue adding this story to their favorites rock! You are the best readers ever!**

**I would also like to thank VeThena for the review that prompted me to find my wonderful betas _Thaigher lillie_ and _tnkrbella671_. This chapter was made better by their contributions and I thank them for that.**

**Having said that, I hope this chapter will be another enjoyable one for you guys!**

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CHAPTER SIX

**BPOV**

A week after arriving in Chicago, Edward finally felt comfortable enough to leave me all alone. He said he had his reasons for keeping me close; reasons that he didn't think he needed to explain to me. He volunteered to be my chaperone if I ever wanted to explore the city, but it was not like we had time for sightseeing since we spent the duration of the week getting reacquainted in his bedroom. He rode my body until I was so exhausted that I would immediately collapse once I was sure he was satiated for the night. Damn, that man had good stamina; he was like the fucking energizer bunny that kept going and going and going. The constant invasion of his tongue, fingers, and cock in my pussy left me sore; however, it was the type of soreness that you knew you only get after you had had a good fuck so there was definitely no reason for me to complain. There was no doubt in my mind that he would have already impregnated me had he not made his intentions known before the wedding. I didn't know it was possible to have as much sex as we were having. Edward was fucking incredible in bed and he knew it. _Just thinking about his cock makes my pussy weep. _I wouldn't tell him the effect he had on me because I had no intention of giving him another reason to be cockier than he already was.

I couldn't help but grin while thinking about the last few days I spent with him_. It was amazing. _

The more time we spent together, the more I understood why our marriage made complete sense. I even started warming up to the idea more than I wanted to admit. I was actually enjoying it….too much. I groaned._ You are so screwed, Bella._

I needed to focus instead on basking in the glory of having awesome sex with him every day. The task of fulfilling Edward's sexual needs should be a constant reminder that this marriage was just business; payment for keeping the V's away from Washington. My end of the deal was clearly being kept and I needed to call Emmett and make sure that Edward kept his.

Edward decided to go to his office to attend to some matters that could no longer be postponed. The arrival of the newly acquired imported cars mandated his presence for his much-needed check-up, whatever that meant.

I stayed behind with Angela, who I learned was the woman responsible for the day-to-day operations of his hotel. Edward intended for her to train me. I didn't need anyone to teach me how to run a hotel, but I decided it was best not to inform him of that. I needed to see how they run their business here in Chicago, and I wanted firsthand experience.

The Swan Olympic Hotel was my baby, my very own idea. I convinced Charlie; actually it was more of a bribe. I would only transfer from NYU to UW if he built me a hotel to manage, which he ultimately decided would be worth it. I didn't even know where or when that idea integrated in my brain, but after Emmett's accident the idea of a hotel was formed and implanted in my brain. To everybody's astonishment, as well as my own, the SOH not only did well, but exceeded everyone's expectations. It was then that I knew I found my calling in marketing and had a knack for business management. I ended up changing my major from Journalism to Business and Marketing when I transferred to UW. The success of my endeavor made me feel extremely good about myself. In fact, I was far from being that self-absorbed, bratty, little girl who only had her mind in spending daddy's money and partying all night. I haven't been that 'girl' since the overdose incident in Lauren's apartment and especially after my introduction to the Mob activities; I would never be 'her' again. I also had firsthand experience in exotic dancing I received two years ago at one of the strip club in Forks, where Rosalie and I made our debut of our newly found dancing skills. That experience alone would take away any childishness one still had.

Angela gave me a brief tour of the important offices in the hotel while making introductions to some of the employees I would be frequently interacting with. EC Grand was an extremely impressive hotel and much larger than the SOH, and was equipped with all the latest and greatest amenities. As a result, it gave me the idea to incorporate some of it into SOH.

I was ushered inside my new office that stood between Angela and Alice's offices. I surveyed the room and was quite impressed by its simplicity. The wooden paneling gave the room the elegant element it needed to compliment the simple office furniture. Angela, who needed to address some issues concerning an unhappy customer, left me alone to appreciate my new office. I was running my hand along the smooth surface of the wooden table when my phone rang.

"Hey Em," I greeted Emmett. I smiled as I plopped down on my big office chair. "Miss me?"

"Of course I miss you," Emmett said, his smile evident in his voice. "Rose misses you even more, though."

"Yeah, me too," I said happily. "Where is she by the way?"

He chuckled before answering. "She's looking over new dresses from whatever designer she is into now. That's the only thing that seems to keep her from hauling you back here."

I smiled at the thought. Aside from her love of cars, Rosalie's next passion was shopping. I loved shopping mind you, but not the way Rosalie did. She would turn into a woman possessed when it came to shopping; hours upon hours of relentless walking from store to store. I had never seen anyone shop the way Rosalie could.

"So, how is he treating you?" he asked in a tense voice. My brother hadn't given up his protective role, even though I was a married woman. "He better be doing a good job at taking care of you there."

"Oh Em, you're such a drama king sometimes," I joked, not wanting him to worry about me any more than he needed to. He had enough to occupy his mind without having to worry about his little sister. "Of course he is taking good care of me. He knows I would kick his ass if he wasn't."

He laughed at that because he knew that was true in every sense of the word. Once he stopped laughing, he cleared his throat before speaking.

"Next week is the 28th," he informed me tentatively. It was the anniversary of my mother's death, October 28th. "Will you be coming up to visit?" he asked.

My mother Renee died due to heart complications when I was just a couple of months old. For as long as I could remember, we used the anniversary as an opportunity to visit her and put flowers on her grave. It had become a family tradition of sorts. I think it was one way of showing her that my dad still loved her very much and that even when she wasn't with us anymore, her memory alone kept him strong. He chose not to remarry. It was kind of sappy but in a romantic kind of way. Even though I was skeptical about things like this, I had always wondered whether I would ever experience the same kind of love they shared.

This year would be different for all of us. Charlie would be lying next to her and he would also receive a bouquet of flowers.

"I'll fly out there, don't worry," I confirmed. I needed to tell Edward about this before he made other plans. "So have you heard anything on Charlie's death?" No new information on his death had surfaced or at least nothing that I knew of.

"Nothing concrete yet, Bells," he said sadly. "But once that fucker is found, he will die a thousand deaths!" His angry voice boomed through the phone.

Thinking about my father made me melancholy. I missed him more and more each day. He had always shown me love and affection by spoiling and pampering me. He allowed me to go to NYU, even if it did pose many threats on my safety. I could have enrolled at the University in Seattle and be closer to the family but instead, being my usual stubborn self, I wanted to go where my friends, Lauren and Jessica, were going. As expected, that was what I got.

He was the only parent that I had ever known and he had done such a good job that I always forgot that I didn't have a mother. Although during my teenage years, I longed for my father to marry again in hopes that my stepmother would become a close girlfriend who I could share secrets with or could give me girly advice; however, it never happened.

It was only when I met Rosalie that I found a confidante I never had before; she was like a fresh breath of air. She was fierce and loyal. But most importantly, she liked me for who I was as a person and not the Isabella Swan that had unlimited money to her name. My brother was always the closest person to me, but there were certain things that you just couldn't share with a boy; especially if that boy was your older brother, who had a protective streak in every bone of his body. Rosalie filled the void in my life.

Before her, my friends consisted of Lauren and Jessica. They were superficial airheads whose interests range from boys to partying. I constantly questioned my sanity after that OD incident wondering why I hung out with them for so long. We really didn't have much in common, except for the usual teenage crap - partying, shopping, and HS hierarchy - so our friendship was bound to end at some point.

"Edward talked to you about Washington?" I asked him, wanting to be sure that he was keeping his promise to help us.

"He called me yesterday," he said, his voice becoming serious. "It seemed that we have quite a few rats in our unit, Bells. Edward was the one who pointed it out."

"Fucking shit," I said disgusted with this information.

"That's why it was easy for them to get Charlie." I could hear the same exasperation in his voice that I felt. "I just didn't know why Charlie and I didn't see it."

"Who are they Em?" I was gripping my phone, my anger now evident in my voice. "I'm going to fucking kill them!"

"Whoa there little sis! I've got it all covered," he tried to reassure me. "They are being dealt with as we speak."

"But-"I started to say, but he interrupted.

"Bella, it's okay, don't worry. We'll talk when you get here. I promise," he said still trying to appease me. "Edward even sent Jasper here."

"What for?"

"He wanted to see for himself the weak points of our operation that Charlie discussed with him. We are talking about revising some rules here. Nothing big, really, " he said in a calm voice. "I guess we owe Edward one."

I sighed. Reeling in my anger, I was grateful that Edward was able to see what we weren't able to. Emmett and I talked a little while longer before we said goodbye.

Angela still hadn't returned so I decided to go see if I could find her. As I made my way through the lobby, I found her at the information desk trying to appease a very disgruntled man, who was muttering expletives towards her to show his displeasure. He was in his late twenties; his boyish charm and expensive clothes were reasons enough for him to think his rude behavior would be overlooked. As I approached, his gaze shifted to my direction. His frown turned into a leer and it was directed towards me. I touched Angela's back to let her know of my presence. Her obvious exasperation of the situation was evident on her face. I gave her a small smile and waited for her to finish her conversation with the man.

"So, who is this gorgeous lady here?" I heard the blonde man say. He lowered his voice in the attempt to sound seductive. "Maybe if she is the one arranging this mess, I might reconsider." I turned to him just as he gave me a once over. He smirked as he finished his perusal, clearly satisfied with what he saw.

"I don't work here sir. I'm just a guest," I informed him with my best professional voice. "Miss Webber here is the manager. I'm sure she is capable of handling your concerns." The longer I talked the wider his grin became.

"Well pretty lady, my name is Mike Newton," he drawled, giving me a wink. "Maybe you can join me for a drink," he said as he stepped forward and reached for my arm.

I tried to be cordial as I attempted to disengage his hand on my arm. I managed to detach his hand only for him to attach it to my wrist. I was furious from his advances, but managed to give Angela a reassuring smile before I pulled his hand away from me. I was about give him a piece of my mind when I heard Quil say, "Is he bothering you Bella?"

Quil's appearance just momentarily fazed Mike. He turned around to Angela. "I'll talk to you later about this, Miss," he said arrogantly, then turned his attention back to me, still with that leer on his face. "As for you Bella, I will be happy to continue this some other time." He winked, then turned around to the elevator before Quil or I were able to respond to his quip.

_Dipshit_. Times like this made me hate my appearance. Men started gawking and flirting with me when I turned sixteen. During that time my thin, gangly body made its transformation to curvaceous and sexy. My big brown eyes, tight ass and perky breasts were my best attributes. Don't get me wrong, I was thankful of my assets and most of the time I used them to my advantage, but occasionally they caused problems. I sighed as I returned my attention back to Angela.

I tried to assure her that there was no reason to be concerned about Edward's reaction to the situation with Mr. Newton. When she was satisfied with my explanation, she led me back to the office to continue our so-called training. She began discussing some of the strategies their marketing department was proposing. I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure whether or not I had the right to do that. I may legally be Edward's wife now but I didn't want to overstep my boundaries with my new co-workers. Honestly, I was impressed by the proposals and I told as much. Edward owned this hotel as well as some in New York and Boston, not to mention other legal businesses. It made me wonder just how much of his fortune he made through legal investments and how much through illegal transactions.

ooooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

"Bells, please don't go back yet," Rosalie pleaded as she linked her arm to mine. "I still want to bring you to that new restaurant Emmett took me to last week. I just know that you would love it."

"Why is that?" I asked, intrigued.

"This is a restaurant where you dine in the dark." She smiled a knowing smile. "Something about enjoying the food with heightened senses."

"Is that so?" I asked, intrigued once again. She was right; I knew if I had the chance that I'd go and enjoy the new type of dining experience.

"Yes," she chuckled as she remembered. "Not that all Em and I did was dine in there."

I covered my ears, trying to erase what she'd just said from my brain. "Rose, please don't start that shit again." She responded with a wide grin and a wink. Unfortunately for me, she was uninhibited when talking about her sex life with me. In fact, I often had to beg her not to say anything about her intimate times with my brother. I shuddered at the thought of her having sex with Em.

"Bells, please say yes to my invitation," she proceeded to insist on my staying.

"Rose, I really need to go back," I informed her. "I've been here a week and Edward is already having a fit."

"What is he, six?" she asked, pissed. I gave a small chuckle at her comment.

"From the way he was acting just a while ago, it sure did sound like it," I confirmed.

Edward called earlier and demanded I get on the plane this morning or he would be forced to come to Washington to bring me back home. He had assured me that it would not be a happy reunion, and his irrationality was pissing me off. _Fucking asshole!_ I relented because I didn't want Emmett to see Edward's possessiveness. It would do nothing but spark another pissing contest between the two of them. It would be better to argue in Chicago than here in Seattle where my family would have more ammunition against him. _Oh Bella, why don't you just admit that you miss him? That's the real reason that you're going back to Chicago, not because of his so-called threat._

This visit killed two birds with one stone. It was the anniversary of Renee's death and visiting her grave was more important than ever as Charlie was now lying beside her. This was one Swan tradition that would not be ignored. I missed Rosalie and Emmett terribly, so this visit also allowed me to see them too.

It also gave me the chance to discuss with Emmett the matter of the rats within our organization, who he insisted had already been taken cared of. He informed me of the addition of a few of his elite muscles in the main house for additional security, just in case the V's weren't placated by my marriage with Edward. On top of that, Jacob informed us that the Seattle police discovered there was a shipment of guns from Berlin so Emmett needed to find another place to hide the merchandise. _Shit, I wish I were here to help._

I had always been the one to help Charlie strategize the transportation of the swag to and from the warehouse without so much as a hitch; besides, I was also a very good fence. _I guess I was really born to be in the Mob._

I was so busy with my internal musing that I hadn't realized Rose was looking at me with pleading eyes. I looked at her questioningly, as I forgot if she had asked me something during my internal musings.

"Bella, one week is just too short," she protested. "You have to stay longer!" I sighed and shook my head as her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Fucking Cullen!" she said while she moved to the desk to get something. "Just make sure he fucking allows you to come back soon!"

She walked back towards me carrying a big paper bag that she quickly gave to me. It was a heavy, causing me to cock my brow in question.

"What's this?" I asked. I opened the bag and found a couple of books I wanted to buy, but was unable to find time to shop for them. I took out one of the books that had a hard cover and turned it around for inspection.

"Those aren't the same as the Wuthering Heights I gave you," she informed with a wicked grin. The Wuthering Heights book she had given me also had a hard cover that enabled it to cleverly hide a knife inside, the knife I used on Edward the night of the honeymoon. She had it made especially for me.

"Thanks. You rock, bitch!"

She knew about my passion for books and made it a point to buy me all the books that I didn't have in my collection. Supplying me with my favorite past time was her reminder that just because we were in the _Borgata_ didn't mean we couldn't do normal things.

I gave her a tight hug conveying my gratitude for both the books and her friendship.

I would definitely be back in two weeks to turn over the hotel's management to her and to spend another fun day shopping with her; I was going to miss her.

ooooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

The black limo that picked me up at the tarmac took me directly to Edward's office. We had landed an hour earlier than expected and Seth, who had been ordered to accompany me to Seattle, insisted that he needed to go to his boss' office. Edward instructed them to go to him directly upon my arrival so I just stayed silent and let them do whatever it was they were instructed to do.

This would be my second time in his office. It was located inside an Italian restaurant, _Bella Italia_ - named after me accordingly. His office was in the same building as the restaurant but was situated on the opposite end. It even had a different entrance so they would not disturb the customers.

We were nearing the office when I heard a message alert from my phone. I checked to see whom it was from and I frowned. It was from Jacob.

**Jake: Did you receive the flowers I sent you?**

What flowers was he talking about? I chose not to respond to the text message and put my phone back into my bag. I was too excited with the thought of seeing Edward to ponder about Jacob. My palms were sweating from the anticipation. I even fixed my hair and make-up to make sure I was decent. The Edward I spent these last two weeks with was the same one as the Masen that I fell in love with in New York. He was so attentive, much more than before. A part of me was rejoicing because of the attention he was giving, but another part wanted to run away from the feelings. I tried keeping him at a distance by being sarcastic and snarky towards him, but he continued being patient with me.

As I entered the back of the building that would lead me to his very large office, I noticed that were several cars parked in the alley. Maybe he had visitors.

We entered his office and I noticed Jasper sitting at one corner, smoking a cigar. When he saw me, he stood up while giving me a smile. A tall woman with her back to me was standing extremely close to Edward. She was wearing too tight black leather pants and what looked to be a black leather corset. She was still talking to Edward and something about her seemed so familiar. As soon as Edward saw me, his smile widened. I returned it with a small smile, but my smile was replaced with a scowl as soon as the girl turned around to face me.

"You," I hissed. "You're that bitch from New York."

* * *

**You liked/disliked it? And who do you think is the girl from NYC? ;) Do tell.**

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**Until next time. ;D Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**SM owns Twilight. I just own the Plot.**

**A/N:**

**To all my readers (reviewers/alerters/recommenders), thank you for all the support!**

**If you don't know yet, I have another story I am writing while I am doing this. Having said that, I need to catch up on that story so I might not be able to post next Thursday for the next update (so sorry!). But I will try my best. Don't worry though, I will definitely be back the Thursday after that!**

**I would like to dedicate this chapter to my wonderful beta's:**

**_Thaigher lillie_ - for adding some things that made this chapter better. Also for her suggestions that helped me in the revisions.**

**_Tnkerbella671_ - for revising this and reviewing for corrections that I may have overlooked, and most of all for always encouraging me.**

***Thank you to the both of you for convincing me that this chapter was good.**

**So without further ado, here is the chapter where the identity of the girl from NY will be revealed.**

**Get to reading and hopefully you enjoy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**BPOV**

_The clicking of my heels against the pavement was audible as I made my way through the Roosevelt Avenue where Masen's apartment building was located. It was early afternoon and I just finished my afternoon chitchat with Lauren and Jessica, giving me extra time to make a surprise visit. I rounded the corner and made my way to the entrance of the building. I greeted the doorman warmly; he remembered me from my previous visits here and gave me a half smile._

_I flipped my short blond hair as I returned the smile. I was grinning like a fool while I rode the elevator to the 25th floor where his apartment was located. Excitement was building inside me as I waited for the doors to open. This giddy feeling was making me kind of nervous since this was all new to me. He was not the first guy that showed interest in me, but he was the first that captured my attention romantically._

_I adjusted my short skirt and my very tight blouse wanting to look fabulous for him in every way. I used the key that he gave me just yesterday and opened the door._

_I surveyed the living room and found his leather jacket draped on the couch, which was a sure sign of his presence in the apartment. I heard soft music coming from his bedroom. I smiled. My steps quickened as I moved towards his room, already imagining him strumming his guitar along with the music. As I was halfway to the room, I heard a girl's voice, which stopped me dead in my tracks. No!_

_I took deep breaths to calm my now jumbled nerves; maybe it was just my imagination. I took the remaining steps to reach his opened bedroom door, and the sight made my whole world crumble._

_There, lying on the bed was Masen with a woman straddled on top of him. She was naked except for a pair of tiny panties. He was nuzzling her neck as she giggled. They were completely oblivious of me standing there until I started gasping for air. The pain in my chest was like a boa constrictor wrapping around my neck, making it impossible to breathe. I slid down to the floor as I closed my eyes to calm my breathing. I embraced myself around my waist hoping for a little comfort that never came. The pain in my chest intensified, but I willed my panicked brain to settle so I wouldn't have a full-blown panic attack. When I opened my eyes, Edward was already wearing his pants with a scowl on his face._

_"What the fuck are you doing here?" He was advancing towards me, his eyes dark with rage._

_I flinched at his harsh tone, but I stood up confidently. My anger was surpassing the panic that was fighting to attack me as I faced him. The anger was reflected on my face, but the treacherous tears were threatening to fall from my eyes._

_"I wanted to fucking see you!" I spat at him. "But I guess you're busy with something else-" I looked at the girl still on top of Edward's bed "-or someone else!"_

_"It's none of your fucking business!" he boomed, his voice becoming louder with every word. "What do you want?"_

_My heart dropped. He didn't even care that I saw him with another girl._

_"You're such a fucking asshole!" I hissed. I ran my hand through my bobbed hair. "Who's this bitch?" My voice cracked a little as I asked for confirmation. "Did you promise her the same things you promised me?"_

_His eyes lowered for a second before coming back to meet mine, eyes dark and deadly. "I didn't fucking promise you anything!" His brows arched in challenge._

_"But-" I stuttered, feeling more of a fool than before. The sobs I was trying so hard to keep in were now coming out in small spurts._

_"Fuck Isabella! You were just another conquest for me!" He was looking at me like I was a stupid little college girl, and at that moment I felt more than stupid. "Nothing more!"_

_"Oh my God!" I sobbed loudly. "You told me-"_

_"Shut the fuck up!" he interrupted. "You really are naïve if you believed everything I said." I didn't blink, absorbing all his insults as the fucking slut on the bed giggled lightly. "You were just another girl I wanted to fuck. Lucky for me, you wanted it, too." He smirked as he said that. "I was even entertained for a little while!"_

_I couldn't believe that this man in front of me was the same Masen I had been with for the last month._

_"Besides, you can't blame me. You were flirting with me relentlessly," he added. I did not and he knew it. Fucking liar!_

_I closed my eyes, trying to block out everything he had just said as I took another deep breath. The tears I wanted to reign in were already pouring out of my eyes in torrents. I chanted a verse from one of my favorite books in my mind to mentally try and will the pain away temporarily. "Oh my God! I-I be… believed you. So fucking stupid of me. You were even my first!"_

_He just shrugged and that did it. I walked towards him and slapped him hard on the face. His jaw twitched as he looked at me with murder in his eyes. I raised my hand again, but he caught my wrist and held it long enough to say, "Strike me again and I will hit back!" His eyes were black, no hint of lying there._

_I lowered my hand and spun around to leave. I angrily wiped the tears away, mortified that I was showing him how vulnerable I was._

_"Isabella, don't forget to leave the key," he said in a low voice. I stopped walking as another confirmation of the end was made._

_My hands were shaking as I fumbled through my bag to search for the key. My shoulders were heaving from the exertion of holding back the sobs. I threw it in his face when I found it. As I reached the door, I saw the Pride and Prejudice book that he bought for me a couple of days ago. I picked it up and threw it at him, only missing his face by inches. Not satisfied with that, I grabbed the vase that was on the table near me and hurled it at him, once again missing him. The vase crashed into a million pieces when it hit the wall behind the head of the bed._

_"I hope you're happy with that slut!"_

_The girl I was talking about was now beside him, wrapped in the blanket. The last thing I saw before I turned to the door was his head being pulled down as the long strawberry blonde's head moved to capture his lips in a kiss._

It was that same bimbo standing in front of me. Her strawberry blonde hair was mocking me. She was the biggest reason I changed my hair back to my original hair color. _I fucking hate blonde bitches!_ Well with the exception of Rosalie, of course.

She whispered something in Edward's ear and he smiled as he nodded. She continued to whisper, but then his smile turned into a frown. He said something inaudible from where I was standing and she let out a loud laugh.

I took a couple of steps forward before saying what was running through my head. My scowl was in place, both directed at the bimbo and Edward.

"What the hell is she doing here Edward?" I asked him scornfully. "Did you have to fucking bring her here?"

The woman did me a once over and smiled a wicked smile that I wanted to wipe off her face. She licked her red lips as she raised her eyes to mine, her brow still cocked high as she said in an amused voice, "She really is feisty!"

She then proceeded to move towards me. When she was standing a couple of steps in front of me, she put one hand on her hip as she took a long drag of the cigarette that she was holding on the other. She exhaled the smoke upwards, but her eyes never left mine.

"I just want you to know kid, that if you ever hurt my Edward, you're gonna answer to me!" _Her Edward? Ha!_ Her voice was filled with iciness that I had no doubt she meant it. Her stare was meant to intimidate its recipient, but I was neither. I fucking wanted to stab a knife into her! My nose flared as my anger at what she said surfaced. _Bitch!_

"Being his wife won't stop me from fucking you up," she said in a sarcastic tone. "So don't' give me an excuse to beat the shit out of you."

"What makes you think you can do that so easily?" I taunted. "Oh, you think that by saying that you're gonna scare me? You're dead wrong, bitch!"

"We could test it if you want!"

I balled my fist as I took a step toward her; in fact, I was ready to take this bimbo out! I wanted this bitch so bad, I could taste it.

"Victoria! Enough!" I heard Edward boom. "You will give her the same damn respect you give me! Remember, she is now my wife!"

My eyes never left her the whole time Edward was talking. What he had said made me look at her smugly, raising my brow in challenge at the same time? Her face was void of expression as if she was not affected by Edward's order; although, the pursing of her lips said otherwise. She was still blocking the few steps that would lead me to Edward.

"Step out of my way, bitch or do I have to show you why I'm not to be fucked with?" I sneered at her. She reluctantly stepped aside to allow my passage, acknowledging that I, too, should be respected. I still wanted to reach out and smack her as I walked past, but resisted since I didn't want to add more drama into this already theatrical meeting.

I decided to give her a show with _her_ supposed Edward. I pulled him towards me and gave him a hard kiss. I then pushed my body closer to him, so that fucking whore would have no doubt as to who was Mrs. Cullen. I was getting lost in our heated kiss when we heard somebody clear their throat. Edward reluctantly pulled away, his forehead resting on mine as he tried to catch his breath. He was smiling. I was elated that he seemed to be happy with what I did, even in front of the slut from NY.

"God, I fucking missed you, babygirl," he murmured against my skin. His arms were around my waist holding me tight while his right hand was already inside my sweater, rubbing small circles on my back. His touch was shooting electricity through my entire body, making me temporarily forget that I was fucking pissed at him.

"Hey Edward, can we finish this shit so I can go home and fuck my wife?" Jasper said mockingly, as Edward's head snapped in his direction.

"Fucking asshole," Edward mumbled.

Jasper was giving Edward a smirk while I gave the bitch a smug smile. Edward completely detached himself from me and turned around while his hand was still on my back turning me to face the bimbo.

"Bella, this is Victoria," he introduced me to the woman I had hated so much from the first moment I saw her. Victoria seemed to have forgotten what had happened a while ago as she came forward and held her hand out to me as we were introduced. She must be bi-polar or something. I just looked at her extended hand and gave a nod. She didn't seem to mind my rude behavior, but instead proceeded to look at me with an irritating smirk that seemed to be firmly planted on her lips.

My fists were already balling at my sides, just waiting for a reason to punch her. I followed as her gazed shifted to Edward and cocked her brow at him. He was frowning at her showing his irritation with the silent message that passed between them so I raised my brow at him in question.

"Vic is our main enforcer," he informed me matter-of-factly. With his hand on my hip, he gave it a little squeeze. "She does all our high priority jobs. Always fucking clean. Never disappoints."

This new information about Victoria made me furrow my brows in irritation. "Like the way you were never disappointed in New York?" Victoria gave a sarcastic laugh at that; however, Edward remained unaffected, but his impassive face gave way to a frown.

"I knew you were going to mention that one way or another," he murmured. He had said something to Victoria and she smiled. She winked at me before turning around to leave. Any more smugness coming from her would lead to more than a slap across her face. It was a good thing she had already left but that didn't mean this was anywhere close to being over.

I was somewhere between anger and disbelief knowing that we were finally going to have the inevitable confrontation about everything that happened in New York. Just the thought of what was about to happen made my heart pump faster as I felt the panic attack start to overtake me. I was not ready for this, nor would I ever be.

"J, I need you to leave us alone and tell Alice I said hi," Edward informed him as I held onto him for a moment to balance my legs, which were becoming unsteady from fear. "Talk to you tomorrow. Don't forget."

Jasper nodded and shot me a smile before leaving. All the other _muscles_ followed Jasper out, making sure to follow Edward's order on giving us privacy.

After everyone left and I was sure that my legs were capable to hold me up, I took a few steps away from him to put a little space between us. I wouldn't be able to think straight as long as he was touching me. My heart was pounding so hard against my chest that I thought it would explode. I steadied my breathing before I opened my mouth to start the inquisition; my whole body was beginning to shake from my anxiety.

"What the hell was she doing here and why the fuck was she threatening me? Why would you let her treat me that way? I'm supposed to be your fucking wife!" I yelled. "I should just walk the fuck away right no-"

"Bella..." he said in a strained voice.

I was going to face this once and for all. I guess all it took was a few threats from a bitch that was currently at the top of my _give me a reason to blow your brains out shitlist_. I took a steady breath as I asked the question I had been pondering since the first time I'd seen them together. "Who the fuck is she to you Edward?"

I tried to block out the images of them in bed. He was clearly uncomfortable, but he stood where I left him. Running a hand through his hair, he knew I was ready to hear whatever it was he had to say.

"I told you I didn't fuck her," he said in a low tone. "I just set it up so you would think I did. I needed for you to stay away from me."

"What the hell?" My heart was momentarily elated that he repeated that he had not cheated on me, but my mind was vehemently rebelling against it. I started to pace the room. "Why would you do that to me?"

"Babygi-….Bella, this isn't going to be easy," he said in a tentative voice. "But I really need to get this all out in the open so I'll just start from the beginning." I just looked at him and waited for him to continue.

"I met Vic a year before I met you," His unwavering stare made it hard not to believe him. "I won't give you all the gory details on what I did, but by the time I met you she had already happily adapted in our way of life. Hell, she even flourished in this kind of lifestyle."

He was giving me a small smile in an effort to reassure me. I stared at him, a scowl permanently etched on my face.

"Bella, you have to understand that I saved her from her previous life and she feels indebted to me, even though I never demanded her to be." He was leaning against the table. I could see his gun peeking out from the tucked position on his hips. "Anyway, when she knew I needed help in dealing with you, she volunteered to help me out."

"Is she your fuck buddy or something?" I asked angrily, the words like poison on my lips.

"What? No!" He looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

"What then?" I asked, not backing down on the issue. "Why is she so protective of you?"

"That's just Vicky. I can't explain why she behaves the way she does, except that she just feels the need to keep me safe."

I took long breaths trying to calm myself as I took in everything he had said. Yes, it hurt and yes, I was furious. But mostly I wanted to yell and scream in order to show how fucking frustrated I was with all this, but I didn't. I reminded myself I was an adult and didn't have to react that way, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to give him hell over it.

"So what the hell happened in New York that was so goddamn important for you to resort to insults?" My hands were shaking, so I rubbed my face with my hands before sliding them into my hair. "God, you were such an asshole and that hasn't changed a bit!"

"Fuck, babygirl!" he said, his voice laced with tension. "Some shit went down a couple of days after we went to shop for books, do you remember that?" I nodded. It was one of the most carefree times we had together. He was always rather guarded when we were out together, and at the time I didn't know his reasons behind it. I just thought he was uptight. But that day the wall he erected around himself was drawn down and he was a carefree young man just out enjoying a casual date in a bookstore; where he insisted on buying me some of my favorite books.

"Alice called me that night to inform me that Carlisle had had a fucking accident that had left him blind! I was supposed to go back to Chicago, but I didn't want to leave you yet." He was frowning as he spoke. "Then a few days later was when my dad died. I didn't know what to do. The family was going to be overtaken by our rivals, so I had to act fast." He looked at me willing me to understand. I remained silent; my heart was still racing against my ribcage.

"You didn't know I was in the mob and I didn't think you would understand." He looked down at the floor looking somewhat ashamed. I wouldn't have cared less if he had been living in the streets because I would've followed him anywhere. I was so in love with him and remembering all of that made my chest tighten. "You were like this angel - perfect and innocent and I was in the goddamn mob." His voice was full of conviction. "What did you think I should have done?"

"You should've told me what was going on!" I shouted. Realizing that he had no trust in me, making him resort to dramatics instead of just telling me the truth. I felt like I had been punched in the gut as a small sob escaped my chest. "Instead, you made me think I was just one of your cock sucking sluts! My God Edward, you were hurling insults at me!"

"God, I'm so sorry about all of that!" He took a couple of steps towards me as the tears started to pour down my face. "You couldn't fathom how much I regret that."

"Well, I don't care!" I spat at him through my sobs. "You…you made your choice. You should have stuck with it!"

"Bella, I didn't know at the time you were one of us." I could hear the sadness as he stood in front of me, tilting my chin so I was now looking at his green orbs. "If I had, it would have changed everything! Every-fucking-thing!"

I looked at him with wide eyes. _What did he mean?_ He looked at me hoping I would understand. "Oh God babygirl…" he pulled me close to his chest; his arm around my shoulders as I nuzzled my face in his chest. "You have no idea how much I fucking missed you. If you did, you would understand the pain I had to endure of going through so much without you."

I sobbed as I let go of all those years of frustration. He rubbed his hands up and down my back, trying to soothe me. We still had a lot to discuss about what happened, but the most important issue to me was already answered. Relief flooded through me and I burst into tears all over again.

"By the time I knew you were in the Swan unit, it was already fucking too late. The damage had been done in New York and I couldn't face you after what I had done." He was ranting now. My heart broke from the pain I could hear in his voice, so I tightened my arms around his waist in an effort to comfort him. It seemed that it was my turn to reassure him. Ironic on how things could change so fast.

His hands moved up my back and he threaded his fingers through my hair, gently angling my head upwards and then gave me the most passionate kiss I had ever experienced. My hands automatically made their way around his neck as I tried to kiss him with all the love I had for him. I knew he felt it too the moment he pulled back and looked me in the eye before claiming my mouth once again. I moved to deepen the kiss and allowed his tongue to make enter my mouth. He began nibbling my lower lip, making me groan aloud as I felt his erection press against my stomach.

"Every time I fucked somebody, I imagined it was you," he murmured. "Every kiss, moan and every fucking orgasm I had with other women… I only had them because I was thinking of you. It's always been you."

I pulled back and looked at him incredulously. "Are you fucking serious? Was that your idea of trying to turn me on?"

His hands gripped my hip tighter as I tried to back away.

"I—uh," he tried backpedaling but it was already too late.

"Not only is that completely fucked up but that is one of the most disgusting things I have ever heard," I hissed. "Get your fucking hands off me Edward Cullen!" I screeched as I ripped myself from him and ran towards the door.

"Don't fucking walk away from me!"

I turned around to flip him off, but was stopped in mid-motion when I realized Edward had already caught up with me.

He was too close and I instinctively pushed him back. He grabbed my wrist firmly, fire blazing in his eyes as he pinned me up against the wall. His anger was rolling off of him in waves as he drew his fist back and punched a hole in the wall right beside my head yelling "Fuck" at the top of his lungs. I tried to get away and over to the door, but I was trapped between him and the wall.

The wild look in his eyes and the way his nostrils flared was incredibly sexy. His eyes darted to my lips and it took only moments for his mouth to find mine. The room was filled with pants and moans as he began to thrust up against me.

"I'm going to show you who I want. You will never doubt me again."

I opened my mouth up to speak, but before I could he crashed his lips against mine again. I felt my body jerk forward as the sound of cloth tearing ripped through the air. When I felt Edward's hand on my bare skin, I immediately knew my clothes were ruined.

I wanted him so bad I even forgot why I was even mad at him. The only thing I wanted was for him to fuck me good and hard. He turned me around so my breasts were firmly pressed against the wall.

"Fucking goddamn panties! No panties... no pants… no shorts. I want you bare and ready for me all the time," he said against my ear as he licked the outer shell. I shivered from the sensation; apparently that was the only sign he needed.

He plowed himself inside me so hard and fast that the pictures were started falling off the wall with each every thrust. I braced myself by winding an arm around his neck and the other hand was flat on the wall.

"Fuck, I missed being inside you!" he growled. "God, I love fucking you!" He began grinding his hips knowing that would make his cock hit my sweet spot.

"Let them hear you, babygirl." His voice was hoarse but he had never sounded so sexy.

"Shit…oh God… oh yeah, fuck me!" He had one hand gripping my breast while the other was teasing my clit in a dizzying motion as he continued giving me everything he had.

"Fuuuck!" I yelled as I flew over the edge, my walls contracting around him. His thrusts started coming faster and I knew he was close. I tightened around him once again knowing it would be all he needed to join me. He started shouting obscenities as I felt him twitch while spilling himself deep inside of me.

We stayed in that position until our breathing slowed. He pulled out and we both slid to the floor. He turned to rest his back on the wall and pulled me to straddle his lap. I snuggled my head into his shoulder as we both came down from our orgasmic high.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," he panted. "Was I too rough? Did I hurt you?"

I couldn't find it in me to speak so I just shook my head against his shoulders in response and kissed his neck. He sighed before pulling me from my position so he could look me straight in the eye.

"God, I'm so fucking in love with you." He then gave me the sweetest kiss I had ever received.

* * *

**Ok, it's that time again for you to tell me what you think-be it good or bad. :)**

**Again, there are still anonymous reviews. I am hoping you can leave an e-mail address so I can get back to you. But if you don't, I would like to get this chance to thank you for the reviews! ;D**

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	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot. Names of places (eg. restaurants, malls, etc.) except the cities/towns are all made up in this story. Any similarity is purely coincidental.

**Thank you's**: To all who gave their great reviews. To the people who alerted me and/or who put this story in their favorites. To all my readers.** Webiegirl**, for recommending this to her chat group. My beta's **Thaigher lillie** and **Tnkerbella671** for all the help. **Elvirina**, for you know what. =)

**Beta:** My beta **Thaigher Lillie's Not so Average** was nominated at Class of 2010 All Human Awards. Go check out her story then go vote for her in the category: Fanfiction you couldn't stop reading. She will really appreciate it. You can vote at this link below:

www(dot)kwiksurveys(dot)com/online-survey(dot)php?surveyID=HKNEGI_c0480029&UID=3191818841.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Terms:**

**Buy **Bribe. A police officer or politician who takes money in exchange for allowing crime to continue is "bought."

**Clip **Kill. Also to harm someone in some way.

**Contract **a murder assignment.

**Fix **A situation in which law enforcement has been paid to allow criminal activity.

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**EPOV**

_My heart started pounding in my chest a million beats per second. Fucking shit! She was on her way up here. Franklin, the doorman, had just called a second ago to inform me of that._

_Victoria was already naked and waiting for me on the bed. She had quickly undressed when I informed her Isabella was on her way up. I hurriedly stripped down to my boxers, and went to lay on top of the bed. Victoria quickly climbed on top of me, straddling me so we would be in a good position on what I was about to do. Her naked tits, which were mere inches from my face, were bouncing as she giggled. This was uncomfortable for her as it was for me. It wasn't because I was going to be her boss officially, or that I wasn't even closely attracted to her. She was far less attracted to me. Or let's just say that she was not remotely attracted to any man._

_Stop thinking about how weird this is. You've got to focus, Cullen. You need to do this shit to her because it would be for the best._

_ Any minute now, Isabella would be striding into my apartment and this scenario would be a slap to her face._

_Victoria was wiggling in front of me, trying to find a comfortable spot. "Shit, this is weird boss."_

_"Shut up Vic," I hissed at her. "Remember, you volunteered for this," I reminded her just as I heard the front door open, signaling Isabella's arrival. _

_"Let the show begin," she said then giggled. I nuzzled my face on her neck as my hand rubbed her back while the other held onto her waist. Vic in the meantime had moved her hand to cradle my head for support._

_I heard small gasps in the room and I almost panicked. I needed to focus on something else so that I could get through this charade. I concentrated on my father's recent death, and the inevitable pain resurfaced. It was still so fucking unbelievable that the great Edward Sr. of the Cullen Family was dead. Why did everything have to be fucked up so suddenly? Why did he have to die now? The anger I was looking for surfaced as I thought about my current situation._

_ That's what you need, Cullen. Now put your game face on!_

_I quickly pushed Victoria off of me to get to my pants as Isabella was on the floor struggling to catch her breath. I hated seeing her like that, and the anger I felt doubled. She was hurting and it was all because of me! _

_I furrowed my brows because Isabella looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. Goddamit, breathe baby girl!_

_She took several long breaths and it seemed to have calmed her down a bit. She opened her eyes, and I snapped._

_"What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked, advancing towards her as I tried my best to scowl at her._

_I saw the anger in her eyes and I knew immediately she would hate me. I would never forget this moment in my life even if I wanted to. She was explaining why she was here and she was looking at Victoria who was still on the bed. My anger increased because now I knew she hated me._

_"It's none of your fucking business!" I boomed, intentionally increasing the volume of my voice. "What do you want?"_

_My heart dropped. She was clearly reigning in her sobs, wanting to maintain her pride. I fucking loved her more then. Oh God, I am so sorry baby!_

_ "You are such an asshole!" she hissed. "Who is this bitch?" Her voice was cracking as she inquired, "Did you promise her things like you did me?"_

_I had promised her so many things, and I fucking intended to give her the world. Shit if I could do that now, I would! I looked at the floor to regain some control, before returning my gaze to her. "I didn't fucking promise you anything!" _

_"But-" she stuttered. She was now slightly sobbing, and I needed to do something before I caved in and comforted her._

_ "Fuck Isabella! You were just another conquest for me!" I enunciated every word. "Nothing more!" God, please let her walk out. Now!_

_"Oh my God!" she sobbed loudly. "You told me-"_

_"Shut the fuck up!" I interrupted. "You really are naïve if you believed everything I said." I planned to be the asshole that I was so she could get the hell away from here. I needed for her to get the hell away. "You were just another girl I wanted to fuck, and lucky for me, you wanted it too," I smirked so she would be more insulted. I was a very good liar, a fucking good one. "I was even entertained!"_

_Please just go! Turn around and leave! "Besides, you can't blame me since you were flirting with me relentlessly." _

_ "Oh my God! I-I be… believed you. So fucking stupid of me. You were even my first!"_

_Yes, I was her fucking first, and every minute I was with her was like heaven on earth. I was ablaze with my passion for her. Shit! Don't think about that, Cullen. _

_I shrugged as I tried to be nonchalant about it. Suddenly, she stepped forward and I didn't even realize what she had done until I felt the sting on my left face. Fuck, she slapped me! She was about to do it again, but I caught her wrist in reflex and said menacingly, "Strike me again and I will hit back!" Her eyes were telling me that she hated me more than she did a moment ago. My heart sunk, but I reigned in the pain._

_ "Isabella, don't forget to give me the key." I needed to get back the key I gave her purposely for this. _

_She threw the key and the book as well as the vase at me. It all merely missed me by inches. Her expression was murderous, and I didn't know whether to cry in relief or in frustration._

_ "I hope you're happy with that slut!"_

_I would never be happy with anybody Isabella. I want you. I love you._

_ I almost went to grab her when she turned away from me, but I felt Vic pull my head down for a kiss. When we were sure that Isabella had left the room, I pushed Victoria away. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and slumped on the floor._

_"I am so sorry about that boss," Victoria said. "You should have seen your face when she turned away from you. You almost caved in, but I knew you wanted her away."_

_I nodded at her in confirmation; She was right. I almost pulled Isabella to me so I can confess everything to her. I also wanted to comfort her because she was crying, and she was crying because of me. FUCK!_

_I put my face in my hands and tried to block the pain out. This was my decision, so I should suck it up and be a man about it. I needed to get ready to leave for Chicago in an hour; Carlisle was expecting me._

The sound of my phone beeping distracted me from my reverie. I thought I was dreaming because it was the same dream I always had before. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. Every time I had that dream, I broke out in a sweat. It was the day I thought I lost Isabella forever. Although it would be easier to put it in the past, I would still choose to be constantly plagued by it. _A constant reminder of the pain I would endure if I ever lost her again._

Yesterday, the most bizarre thing happened. Victoria made some comments about Isabella hurting me and all that shit. But beyond the facade of nonchalance, I knew Victoria was interested in my Bella. She didn't say it as much in words because it would have been a grave mistake on her part, but her actions spoke volumes. I saw how she made a perusal of Bella's body and the sparkle of interest that wasn't completely hidden in her eyes when she made eye contact with me. I let it slide since she didn't and couldn't act on her attraction to my wife.

The irony of it all didn't pass me though. I used Victoria to get rid of Bella in NY, and Bella thought I cheated on her with Victoria. Bella even thought she was still a threat to our relationship. Little did she know Victoria was now attracted to her. Of course, I couldn't blame Victoria for that. Isabella was really stunning so it was no wonder men and women would find her attractive, but it didn't mean I have to like it.

I looked back at Bella lying on her side in our bed, one of her creamy thighs peeking out from under the sheets, and I couldn't help but smile. She was finally mine now. Her body belonged to me the moment she agreed to be my wife, but the most important part was I now owned her heart as well. She confirmed she loved me yesterday after my confession!

_"God, I am so fucking in love with you!"_

_There I said it. I was internally panicking because I wouldn't know how to react if she rejected me. My plan actually didn't involve her rejecting my love._

_I was looking at her shocked face unflinchingly; painfully conscious of the seconds she didn't say anything, but continued to just stare at me, clearly looking for something._

_Then suddenly, she was pulling my head down, capturing my lips to hers. Her kissing me was as good as her confirming that she felt the same way; and damn if I won't show her how fucking elated I was. I plunged my tongue inside the crevice of her mouth, tasting her. I touched my tongue with hers and the slow dance of both our tongues started; eliciting individual moans from us. I was conscious that my cock, which was still directly aligned against her warm entrance, was stirring again. I reluctantly pulled her away from me and she groaned._

_"Baby, we need to stop," I murmured against her as I tried to steady my breathing. "I don't think I'd be able to resist taking you here again. I really think we need to talk first."_

_She was looking at me with wide eyes, the lust in those brown orbs doubled with disbelief. I gave her a reassuring smile as I stroked my knuckles against her cheeks._

_"Did you mean it?" she asked tentatively, lowering her gaze to my chest._

_I lifted her chin so she was looking at me and I told her again, "I loved you ever since I met you Bella!"_

_She gave me a wide smile. "I love you too!"_

_My heart surged from the contentment I had felt hearing that. It was all I needed; She was all I needed. Now that I have her completely, I would never ever let her go. There would be hell to pay if something or someone tried to take her away from me._

I looked at the clock on the table to see that it was still early - 6:23 in the morning to be exact. I didn't want to wake her up, so I just sat there looking at her pretty face for what seemed like hours. Her brows furrowed from time to time, and her swollen lips were slightly open as she continued to have her sweet slumber. I knew I wore her down last night, so the least I could do was allow her to get some sleep and her strength back. I grinned as images of last night's activities flashed through my mind, and my cock stirred. _Fuck! Down boy, we need to let her rest._

_I was licking the bare skin of her shoulders as I rammed myself into her from behind. I already made love to her three times tonight and it was about time that I thoroughly fucked her!_

_I temporarily separated my lips from her skin to watch our reflection in the mirror. She had her eyes closed and was whimpering as I continued my thrusts, supporting herself by leaning her elbows on the marble of the sink._

_"Baby look at me," I rasped as I rotated my hips. She opened her eyes and we stared at each other in the mirror in front of us. I pinched her nipple and she groaned. My baby loves it rough, and I smiled in satisfaction._

_Damn, she is fucking hot!_

_She was pushing herself against me in response to my thrusts and that fueled me to thrust harder. I was still staring at her, mesmerized by her reaction. _

_I pulled my gaze from the mirror and started sucking on her skin again. My fucking orgasm was booming and I needed something, so I bit her and she screamed as her orgasm rocked her body. _

_Shit! Remembering last night won't help your raging erection! _I went to the bathroom and took care of my very hard cock so that I wouldn't be tempted to take her again. After my satisfactory release, I took a shower and got ready to go to the office. I had a meeting with Jasper early this morning to set up the shipment for the newly acquired cars to Hong Kong. Mr. Kwan was waiting for these cars for quite some time now.

I left Bella a note before kissing her sleeping form goodbye.

I was now on my way to the office in my customized Bugatti Veyron, with my whole entourage following close by. I loved this car, and I was the only one allowed to drive it. The car was bullet proof and bomb proof so I had little worries on that aspect.

I was still fucking grinning as I passed the streets leading to the office. I might've even looked stupid, but I didn't fucking care because Isabella Marie Swan-Cullen loves me, and I wanted to fucking shout it out to the world.

I came to a screeching halt in front of my building where I parked in one of the reserved spots for my cars in the parking lot. I quickly made it to my office as Marcus and Garrett hurriedly tried to catch up with me.

Jasper, always the dependable underboss, was already waiting for me as well as my sister. Eleazar, who just arrived from Boston for this meeting, was also in attendance.

I was headed towards my desk when I felt somebody walking beside me. It was Alice and she was giving me a mischievous smile.

"What?" I asked irritatingly. Her smile just got bigger.

"So where is Isabella?" she asked, her brow arching as she continued to smirk. "She isn't with you."

"When I left, she was still sleeping," I said exasperatingly. "Goddammit Ali, if you want to ask something just fucking ask. Don't beat around the bush. You're fucking irritating me!"

"I got plenty of things to ask, dear brother," she said in a teasing tone, clearly unaffected by my harsh tone. "I just don't have time right now." She came closer and tapped her finger on my chest as she said, "But I promise you, this conversation isn't over."

She turned around so quickly that I was kind of surprised by it. She walked towards Jasper to give him a kiss on the lips before waving to both of us goodbye.

"Gotta pick Isabella up," she informed us. "I'll bring her shopping." She gave me a wink before finally exiting the room.

I stared at the door for a little while longer before returning my attention to the task at hand. I had just removed my jacket before I started ranting.

"So J, what the hell happened to the container vans?" I asked Jasper. "Those were supposed to be in the docks early yesterday morning so we could have loaded those fucking cars."

"That's why Alistair is waiting for me in the warehouse," he informed me. "He'll be explaining what happened. You wanna come?"

Since I didn't have anything more important than to ensure the fucking cars were shipped, I nodded in confirmation. Jasper rode with me while the others followed. The warehouse was a worn down building two miles away from the office.

I stopped the car in the middle of the big, vast vacant area at the back of a dilapidated building and stepped out of my car. The place had a small-like bodega building that would enable us to do shit and kept it hidden from prying eyes of neighbors as well as the cops.

My men, who were not expecting to see me, seemed to tense up and made themselves look busy. I saw Alistair hurriedly walk towards Jasper and me in agitation. He knew someone amongst his men fucked up; however, it was his responsibility to oversee, so he was the one who needed to answer to me. My sunglasses were concealing the anger I was feeling, but my stance obviously did because as soon as he was near, he started to make apologies.

"I am sorry boss, but the middle man from our usual contact didn't deliver and one of the capos didn't deem to inform me earlier about it," Alistair informed me. "Don't worry boss, I've already settled the matter and I assure you there will be container vans for the cars today." He scratched his head, unsure of my reaction to the excuse.

"Those cars are becoming hot!" I yelled so everybody within a few feet could see that I was furious. I saw some of them flinch and I internally congratulated myself. These fuckers need to be reminded that I don't take screw-ups lightly. "We need to fucking ship them now! Or dispose of them here, and if that happens someone would fucking pay for this fuck up!"

"Alistair, you fucking make sure it's settled or I'll fucking have the head of your man," Jasper hissed at Alistair since he knew the importance of this shipment. If we lose this, we not only lose millions but also our contacts in Hong Kong, which would certainly be a bitch.

"Um, actually I was just settling it," Alistair said in a tense voice. "The middle man is here." He pointed to a naked man tied to a chair in the middle of the dark building.

I didn't acknowledge what he was saying, but just strode inside. I didn't go near the man in the chair; however, I just stood there, lit a cigarette, and waited for the show to begin. Jasper was beside me, clearly contemplating what to do. He turned to me and gave me a wicked grin as if to ask for permission. I knew what he wanted, so I nodded in agreement. He removed his jacket as well as the gun tucked in his waist and gave it to Marcus, who was standing nearby. He said something to Alistair who walked away to come back after a minute with something in his hand. He handed a stun gun to Jasper.

I grinned at that. Jasper had this innocent looking shit about him, but he was definitely not that. He loved a fucking torture, and his signature move was to taser his fucking victim on the balls!

I heard the man shout like a fucking pig and knew his balls just got fried. After a couple more grunts and shouts, and only after Jasper was satisfied, did he allow the man to be released from the chair. He was unable to support his weight and fell down to the floor as he whimpered and clutched his balls in his hands, crying like a girl. He stood up and wobbled as he did, confusion and fear evident on his ugly face.

Alistair handed Jasper a bat and he swung it right on the man's legs. I heard another cry before I turned around to walk towards my car.

"That's fucking right you asshole," I heard Jasper's shout amidst the cries of the man. "You're going to be a fucking example to everybody. Nobody screws with the Cullen's!"

ooooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

Jasper did a number on the man in the warehouse, and I was sure he didn't fucking survive the maniacal onslaught of my underboss. We left the mess behind, assured that Alistair would know what to do with the body.

Once back in my office, I focused my attention on other matters that were also important. Eleazar, who was in-charge of the New York/Boston area, flies here once every month for a blow-by-blow account on what was happening there. Jasper also makes monthly inspection in said areas.

Elly, how was Boston?" I asked. For the next hour, we discussed most of the swags that were transported properly between the two areas as well as some minor problems with the police.

"I told you if we couldn't get Jackson, we just fucking clip him!" I hissed. A certain detective by the name of Paul Jackson was not willing to be bought at the usual rate we offered, but wanted more money. It was much more than I was willing to part, and he was just a fucking detective who thought he was indispensable just because he could do some fix for us. It would surely cost a little less to just dispose of him rather than buy him off.

"That could be arranged boss. Are you sure of this?" Eleazar responded, waiting for my confirmation. I nodded and he knew he had only 24 hours to ensure that Jackson would be dead. It was the standard time I allotted for the contracts to be completed properly; unless, I say so otherwise.

When everything was in-order, Eleazar said his goodbyes, and left Jasper and me alone in the room. Jasper ended the call he was having before turning around and facing me. He sat down on one of the couches, his elbow on his knees as he looked at me with a smirk on his face.

"How's your wife, boss?" he mocked me.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you made some shit comment of sorts," I said as I tried to look fierce, but failing miserably as he smirked at me.

"So?" he asked, his expression clearly curious. Aside from Alice, he also had to endure my musings about Bella the whole 3 years, so I couldn't blame him if he warranted an explanation. He knew that after I had asked him to leave yesterday there would be some confrontation, and he was dying to know about it.

I let him stew for a bit before answering; He was now frowning at me, clearly irritated.

"Well she was exhausted from last night's activities, that's for sure," I deadpanned, looking at him innocently. I intentionally delayed telling Jasper what transpired yesterday just so I could get the satisfaction of seeing him, the ever calm and patient one, become a teeny bit rattled from irritation.

He scratched and shook his head as I gave him a wide grin. He grinned back.

"Asshole," he said to me. "I knew something happened to have put that stupid grin which had been plastered all over your face the whole morning."

"Goddamn J, she said she loved me."

I still couldn't believe how easy Bella forgave me. The desolation I felt after she left me in New York wasn't even a consideration for her to grant me her forgiveness, but she gave it anyway. I couldn't say I wasn't happy about her accepting me back, though. To be completely honest, I was fucking ecstatic! However, I hadn't confessed the stalking part, and I had a feeling she would be more than pissed about it. "I still cannot believe it."

"Fucking A, you're one lucky bastard," he clipped, quite in shock. "I really wanted to see her deck you…that would be so fucking hot!" He said a little too happily.

Jasper was fiercely loyal and trustworthy, and I was grateful I had him for a friend. I was also honored he agreed to be my underboss. He was the one who supported me on everything that had to do with Bella.

I checked my watch and quickly called Bella on her phone.

"Hey baby," I said, smiling as I heard her sweet voice. "Where are you?"

"I'm with Alice," she said in a clipped voice. "She dragged me out of bed to go with her, and I really want to strangle her! Your sister thinks she can boss me around!"

I laughed at that. Alice may be small but she was a force to be reckoned with. "Then why are you letting her?"

"Because I want to have a friend here in Chicago. Besides, she is your sister so she is family now."

I smiled at her reasoning. She wanted to show that she was tough, but underneath she was still the sweet girl I met three years ago, although, she was much less fragile. "I told Seth that you could use the Lambo. Did you?"

There was silence on the other end, and suddenly I was nervous. "Bella?"

"Seth isn't with us," she whispered against the phone. "I just rode with Alice and-"

"Fuck!" I shouted. I stood from where I was sitting and paced. "Goddammit Isabella, why didn't you fucking bring Seth?"

"Why would I bring him?" she snapped, her voice rising in anger. "Quil is here-"

"I don't fucking care if Quil is with you," I snapped back at her. My anger and panic was getting the best of me as I was losing control of this conversation. "Shit!"

I was really getting agitated. It was known I had wed; therefore, making Isabella a primary target to get to me. That's the fucking reason I turned Seth over to be her personal bodyguard because I trusted him with my life, and she is my life. However, the problem was she was so fucking stubborn! _Goddammit!_

"Where are you?" I roared.

"Don't you fucking raise your voice at me just because I don't always listen to what you tell me to do," she shouted. "Go to hell!" Then all I heard was silence.

_She fucking hung up on me! _I quickly strode out of my office as I dialed Alice's number.

"Ali, where the fuck are you?" I hissed.

"Edward, we're fine. Bella is so miffed at you this minute. You're in a whole lot of trouble," she said in a frantic voice.

"Goddammit Ali, just answer my fucking question!"

"You are such an asshole!" she spat. I didn't need for her to hang up on me too, so I resorted to pleading.

"Please Ali," I said. My heart was beating fast as the seconds went by. "I can't explain it now, but I need to get to Bella."

"We're in the Hya," she said before she hung up. _What the fuck? _That's the second time around today that someone's hung up on me.

I gunned the car, maximizing the speed it could go to reach Bella as soon as possible. They were at one of the popular restaurants in the city. Before I stepped inside, I saw Seth in one of the tables inside trying to be the inconspicuous bodyguard. He was clearly trying to respect whatever Bella's wishes were, but at the same time following my orders to guard her with his life. _I smiled at his loyalty. _I needed to reward him with something big.

I found them at one of the secluded areas of the restaurant having a late lunch. My heartbeat slowed when I saw her safe and happy. I sighed._ I might have overreacted._

I quickly sat beside Bella and stared at her. She chose to ignore me and kept talking animatedly with Alice as I kept my eyes on her. I took one of her hands in mine and tugged it softly, which made her turn to me. I gave her one of my most dazzling smile while she arched her brows in question.

"Baby, I'm sorry for shouting."

She turned her attention back to Alice without even giving me a response. Just then, I heard Jasper slide in beside Alice.

"Goddammit Edward, you fucking left me there," he grunted, "You're such an ass!" I then allowed my gaze to shift from my wife to Jasper, cocking an eyebrow.

He just shook his head in resignation. We signaled for a waiter to come over then made our orders.

Bella was still ignoring me and it was pissing me off, but I reined it in. I was not used to this kind of treatment from a woman; however, she was Bella, so I allowed her some liberties. I couldn't do anything about it since I knew she would take her time to torture me on what I just did. _Groan._

My phone beeped signaling I just received a message. I flipped it open, and what I read made me see red.

**"Ur fucking time will soon be up."**

* * *

**You know what to do. ;)**

**Check these awesome stories below. =)**

**Cambion** by Thaigher Lillie, **First & Ten** by Nolebucgrl, **Your Voice was all I heard** by twimama.

**Also I just found this story last night, it's so good. I'm obsessing on this Edward right now. Go check it out, but only if you are legal because there are explicit contents in the story**. **Ride**.

I am now on twitter (veeblanc).


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot. Names of places (eg. restaurants, malls, etc.) except the cities/towns are all made up in this story. Any similarity is purely coincidental.

**Thank you's**: To all who gave their great reviews. To the people who alerted me and/or who put this story in their favorites. To the lurkers. To all my readers. Lots of love to you guys! ;D

**Beta's**: Thank you to **Thaigher lillie** and **Tnkerbella671** for all the help. =)

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Terms:**

**Call-in **The act of ordering - without explanation - a made man to report to his superiors.

**Sit-down **A meeting, perhaps called to settle a "beef."

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE**

**BPOV**

"I'm going to kill your brother!" I hissed, scowling at Alice. I knew she didn't deserve it, but she was the closest person I could turn my anger to. She seemed to be irritated as well at the conversation I just had with her brother, if that frown on her face was any indication. She however remained silent the whole time I was seething, and for that I was grateful.

I just hung up on Edward, but even that gave me little satisfaction. _How dare he shout at me! My father never did._

Just then Alice's phone rang and we both knew it was Edward. She finally picked it up after letting it ring for a minute or two.

"Edward, we're fine…Bella is so miffed at you this minute…you're in a whole lot of trouble," she said in a frantic voice. I tried to mute out the one sided conversation by concentrating on calming myself down.

"You're such an asshole!" she spat. Her beautiful face was now lined with irritation. "We're in the Hya," she clipped before ending the call.

I groaned and put my face in my hands. I was sure he would be here any minute. _Shit!_

"I'm so sorry Bella," she said softly. "My brother is really an ass sometimes."

I cocked my brow to challenge what she just said and she broke into giggles before agreeing. "Ok, most of the time."

I couldn't help the snort that escaped me when she said that, and soon we were giggling like schoolgirls. Alice literally made me less angry with her brother. Behind her bossiness and the unending exhilaration, she was really nice.

Alice woke me up this morning and literally dragged me out to shop. I was not a morning person, so clawing her eyes out was really tempting, but I opted to be as crabby as I could be. She, however, ignored my grumpiness and didn't let that affect her exuberance at the task at hand, which was shopping.

She was like a hurricane that was let loose to cause havoc. We had roamed around in different high-end stores for over three hours, trying everything she could get her hands on. She was worse than Rosalie when it came to shopping.

The good thing about this whole trip was, I didn't intend to have a good time with her, but I did. She seemed to have a knack for fashion, and knew what to do with it; not to mention have fun while doing it. Fun was what I needed, and fun was what I got.

After a couple of thousand dollars in purchases, which included several designer dresses, jeans and sexy lingerie, we decided it was time for us to have our late lunch. So here we were at the newest restaurant that served the best wood-grilled steaks in the metro area, not to mention their very delicious sandwiches.

I scanned the room whilst waiting for our orders to arrive. I saw Quil and Alice's personal bodyguard sitting together two tables away, casually observing us. I gave him a smile, and he saluted me with two fingers. Seth was supposed to be here with me, but I didn't see the need to bring him since Quil was my personal bodyguard, and he was always with me. Alice was also bringing hers so between the two of them, I was sure they would give us enough security. Edward, on the other hand, thought otherwise. He was so pissed when he found out Seth wasn't with me. It wouldn't have been an issue if he just said it nicely, but no, Big Boss needed to shout and scream just to get his point across. _Screw him!_

Just then I saw Edward walk into the restaurant, and my demeanor suddenly changed. _Speak of the Devil!_ Though I was a little less angry with him, I was still irritated enough to punish him.

Early this morning, I was basking on his recent admission of love for me. I was so happy, I didn't mind waking up all alone in our bed because I knew I would be seeing him soon enough. I was having a great day up until he ruined it by acting all bossy and shit!

I ignored him as he sat beside me, knowing too well that would rile him up. He just sat there, and I could feel his heavy gaze on me while I tried my best to have a conversation with Alice. His presence along with his penetrating stare was distracting, but I remained unaffected. He suddenly held one of my hands in his, and the heat from his skin sent tingles to my spine. He tugged and I turned my gaze to him.

He was smiling at me, and I almost gasped aloud. He was looking so damn sexy with that lopsided smile on his face. I nearly pulled him to me and kissed him; however, I still remained silent and put my best poker face on.

"Baby, I'm sorry for shouting," he said softly, his smile still in place. He knew what he was doing. He was trying to dazzle me, but I wouldn't show him that it was working. So with much control, I turned to Alice and continued to ignore him.

_Make him suffer a bit Bella._ Yes, definitely. But it was becoming increasingly difficult as he rubbed his thumb on the back of my hand; sparks of electricity were shooting on the skin he was touching.

Just then Jasper arrived cursing at Edward for leaving him behind. After a few minutes of his tirade, they ordered some lamb loin, which was also one of the specialties here, and we continued with our lunch without further drama.

Edward's phone beeped, signaling an incoming message. As he checked it, I felt him stiffen since he was still holding my hand. I quickly looked at him and his brows were furrowed together, so I knew something was up. He felt me looking at him and he just gave me a smile and squeezed my hand.

I didn't know what was happening, but I knew something was amiss. Marcus suddenly appeared at our side as Edward whispered something in his ear before he left again. Edward tried to remain impassive; although I knew from the way his shoulders were stiff that there was something wrong, and I planned to know what it was.

Once we finished eating, Edward paid our bill then we slowly stood up to leave. He took my hand in his and tugged on me as we made our way out of Hya. Jasper was ahead of us with his hand on the back of his wife to usher her out.

Edward guided me to his car, a very expensive looking one at that. I turned around to check on Alice and saw that she was also being escorted into her yellow Porsche by Jasper. I waved goodbye and nodded in confirmation when she signaled with her right hand that she would be calling.

Edward helped me into the sports car, and I ducked my head to lower myself in the passenger seat. I surveyed the interior of the car and was impressed by the posh amenities that could only be seen in expensive cars like this.

It took Edward a couple of minutes before he slid inside the driver's seat, and I noticed he was talking to somebody on the phone.

"Yes," he said. "I need everybody in an hour. Tell them!"

He ended the call and roared the car to life. He gave me a quick glance before he put the car into gear and sped out the parking lot.

The silence was deafening, even though _Incubus' Stellar_ was playing in the background. I didn't know what I wanted to talk to him about, so I remained silent. I looked out the window and stared at the blur of scenery as Edward drove past. I felt him take my left hand, which was resting on my lap and slowly turned it around, giving the backhand a kiss.

"Bella, baby…I'm so sorry," he started.

I turned my head slowly to him and sighed. I couldn't seem to be angry with him for long especially, now I knew he loved me. I secretly hid a smile at the thought of that. Even though he was so overbearing at times, he was still adorable when he turned on the charm. And trust me, he was definitely trying, so all the more I couldn't resist.

My fingers were now intertwined with his as he rubbed his thumb on my skin. "I just fucking freaked out when you told me Seth wasn't with you."

I squeezed my hand against his and sighed. "You could've just told me nicely. No need for the shouting."

"Yes, I know that," he sounded repentant. "I just didn't want you to go anywhere without Seth. Promise me you'll bring him everywhere."

"But Quil-"

"You can still bring Quil. There is no rule that says you can't have more than one bodyguard." I knew he wanted to lighten the mood, but his voice was laced with concern. He looked at me briefly, and it was enough for me to agree.

"Okay," I said and turned back to looking out the window. _I grinned_.

"Thank you baby girl. When it comes to you I don't want to risk anything." He turned to me and raised my hand again to kiss it. "So am I forgiven?"

"Not quite, but we are having a truce right now," I teased him.

I heard him release a long sigh before he pulled my hand and kissed the inner portion of my wrist. "You're so fucking beautiful Bella. I still can't believe you love me."

In reality, it was me who couldn't believe he loved me. I was still trying to get my brain to accept everything that happened yesterday was real. I gave him a shy smile because I didn't know what to say to him.

He seemed distracted, but he gave me a smile before he returned his gaze back to the road to effectively maneuver the car.

"Bella, I did a call in so I need to deal with that first. I'll drop you off at home," he informed me, trying to be nonchalant about it.

"Why, what's wrong?" I asked. "I know there is a problem. You have to tell me these things!"

"I promise I'll discuss it when I get home."

I nodded before leaning into him to give him a kiss on the lips.

ooooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

I was getting quite agitated as I paced back and forth; Edward hasn't arrived yet from his meeting since leaving me at our apartment suite two hours ago. I was also worried about his reaction when he did arrive. _Goddamn Jacob!_

Scattered around our living room were five-dozen white roses. I wanted to throw them away, but I was sure that Seth would be reporting this to Edward, so there really was no way to avoid this. I tried to call Jacob on his phone earlier, but either he didn't plan to answer, or he was just plain busy. I chose the latter since he would not avoid me after sending all these flowers. I tried one last time; it worked, and he picked up.

"Jake, what the hell?" I didn't bother to explain as he chuckled.

"So, I assume you received my flowers?" he asked in a smug voice when he heard me groan. "Finally! You didn't seem to receive the ones I'd sent you here in Seattle!"

"What do you think you're achieving by doing this?" I hissed at him. He was really on dangerous grounds here. "I am married Jake!" I said in exasperation.

"It doesn't matter babe," he said maliciously. "There is always divorce."

"Goddammit Jake! If you were here I would shoot you myself!" I was now seething. The audacity of him to suggest such things he didn't even know about.

He just laughed, and I was getting angrier by the minute. "I'll be coming to Seattle in three days, and you better be prepared because you and I will have a long talk about this!"

"I can't wait Bella," he said, trying to be seductive. "God, I missed you."

I shuddered at what he was saying and cut him off. "I'll see you when I get there. Bye." I didn't wait for him to reply before hanging up.

I knew Edward was having something of a complication right now, which was surely important to garner a _call in_. This _something_ meant he would have a hard time allowing me to travel, but I was determined to go to Seattle in three days. An idea suddenly occurred to me, one I knew would get Edward to agree with me. I got ready as soon as I could before he arrived and ruined my plan.

After everything was set up, Edward strode into the living room a few minutes later, looking exhausted. However, he smiled when he saw me sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in my hand. I took a sip then gulped it down, and tried to walk over to him as soon as my feet would allow me. I knew he seen the flowers because his smile earlier turned into a scowl.

"What the fuck?" he growled as he scanned the room full of bouquet of white roses. He just stood agape, and I walked over to him so I could explain.

"Look Mase, I know this might sound perplex to you," I started, trying to get everything out before he overreacts again. "But please listen to me first before you react."

He raised his brows, and gritted his teeth. "I didn't send these! Are these for you?"

I just looked at him, afraid to nod my head in confirmation. I couldn't hide the fact these were for me. _Well obviously who were they for if not for me?_

"Who had the balls to fucking send these to you?" His voice was dangerously low, a sign that he was really angry. I did the only thing I knew would appease him before answering; I wrapped my hands around his waist and looked him in the eye. He was waiting, and I swallowed before answering.

"Jacob thou-"

"That motherfucker! He really is asking for it!" he growled. He went to the vases that held the roses and started kicking it. "Fucking asshole and his fucking flowers! I'm going to kill him!"

I followed him and put my hands on his face as I tried to assure him. "Masen, look at me. It doesn't matter if he sends me a hundred dozen roses; it will not change the fact that it is you that I love."

He sighed deeply and closed his eyes. I moved my hands from his face to wrap it around him while I rested my head on his chest. I was rubbing his back in circles, trying to ease the tension. My hands were already under his shirt, and the heat from his skin was making me delirious.

"Baby girl, you gotta stop that," he said in a pained voice. I knew he was crumbling, so I turned around and reached for the remote to turn on the music from the dock I had set up. I walked a few steps away so he could see me properly, and allowed the robe I was wearing to slip from my shoulders as the song of Nine Inch nails started.

_You let me violate you_

_You let me desecrate you_

_You let me penetrate you_

_You let me complicate you_

I was only in the sheer lacy bra and panties I knew he would love. The lyrics of the song were turning me on, but I needed to concentrate on the task at hand, so I started to dance. I slowly turned towards Edward, and to my satisfaction, he was gaping at me with his eyes now dark and hooded with lust.

I swayed my hips sensually, the way I learned during the exotic dancing lessons with that chick Lisa. I slowly ran my hand from the inner portion of my thighs to my stomach then my breasts while moving my body like a seasoned stripper. I smiled at him and licked my lips as he growled. I slowly slid the straps of my bra down my shoulders as the sexy beat of the music got to me. I threw him the sheer fabric when I was able to completely remove them from me. I looked at Edward and saw that he was now staring at my naked breasts. He licked his lips and I felt my nipples harden in arousal. I touched the sides of my now bare breasts and slowly trailing my hands up my neck to my hair as I moved my body with the music.

_Help me tear down my reason_

_Help me; it's your sex I can smell_

_Help me; you make me perfect_

_Help me become somebody else_

Suddenly he was striding towards me. He just came close enough and stopped, so I moved my body closer to his then grounded my ass at his obvious erection; my arms went to his neck as I slid my body up and down his body.

_I wanna fuck you like an animal_

_I wanna feel you from the inside_

_I wanna fuck you like an animal_

_My whole existence is flawed_

I wrapped my arms around his neck and licked his lips. He hissed and tried to capture my mouth in a kiss but I pushed away from his chest to turn around and continue to dance with the erotic rhythm of the song. I hooked my thumb on the strings of my tiny panties, and glanced back to give him a seductive smile while I grinded. He was clenching his hands and his breathing was clearly labored now, a clear indication that my teasing was effective. _Good._

I continued to dance, raising my hands over my neck to my hair to give it a lift and let it all fall back down. I felt his hands on me just as I was about to remove my panties. He turned me roughly to him and crushed his mouth to mine. I secured my arms around his neck as we continued to kiss. I could taste the cigarette and alcohol on him and it made me ravish his mouth more. He pushed me on the rustic ottoman that was nearby and moved on top of me. His assault on my mouth didn't falter as he grounded his hips; his massive erection pressed against my stomach. My panties were now soaked as the assault of his mouth as well as the effect of the sexy song fueled my lust.

"Shit baby girl, I can't wait," he rasped. He removed the lacy panties, and grabbed it in a ball. He raised the fisted cloth to his nose, and inhaled; that sent another course of desire directly to my already heated core. _Who knew I was a fucking kinky bitch! _He threw the piece of cloth aside before he quickly unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. "I need to fuck you now!"

He settled on top of me, and I hoped the piece of wood would hold both our weights. He rammed inside me, and I screamed from the sheer pleasure of having him inside me.

He was like a deranged person, thrusting frantically. I hitched my legs on his hips; the high-heeled shoes I was wearing were still on. My hands were gripping the edges above my head for leverage as he continued to pound into me. _Just like the fucking song!_

"Jacob can't have you!" he hissed as his thrusts continued. Harder and faster. "Nobody can! You're fucking mine! You hear me, MINE!"

His anger was fueling this animalistic fucking and I loved it. I moaned as his plunges increased and I screamed when I convulsed around him.

He didn't stop fucking me. His hips were rotating and grinding against me, his cock hitting spots that felt so good. I felt another orgasm building and I tightened my legs around him, pushing him deeper inside me.

"Say it!" he murmured as he tugged on my earlobe. "Say you're mine!"

I moaned because that was all I could do. However, Edward wasn't satisfied with that so he pulled out of me, the tip of his cock teasing my entrance. I groaned in protest. "I'll not give it to you if you don't!"

"I'm fucking yours! All of me!" I shouted and he slammed back inside my pussy. "Always!"

He latched his mouth to mine in a harsh kiss, pulling my lower lip between his teeth and biting it until I could taste blood. His tongue plunged in and out of my mouth in an imitation of what his lower body was doing to mine.

His hard pounding brought us both to our orgasm, eliciting a string of curses as the pleasure rocked both our bodies. I lay limp on the table while he collapsed on top of me for a few minutes to settle down from the high. When he realized this position would most likely crush me, he pulled himself up, bringing me with him. He was still inside of me when he walked towards the nearest couch and sat down, landing me straddled on top of him. I buried my face on his neck, licking the sweat that was there.

"That was so fucking hot!" he said in an awed voice. "Where did you learn how to dance like that?"

I giggled as I slowly unbuttoned his shirt so I could play with the muscles on his chest. I could still hear the music in the background since I had put it in replay.

"Rose and I trained to do exotic dancing," I said softly, smiling as I remembered the first few days we started with the training.

He suddenly looked at me strangely, and frowned as he asked, "Did you dance like this for somebody else?"

"Not like this, no," I informed him. "But we did dance in one of the clubs in the outskirts of Forks."

He was about to open his mouth in protest, but I cut him off by putting my finger on his lips. "Baby, don't worry about it. Please."

He seemed to contemplate about it first before agreeing. "You're mine! Nobody will ever see you dance like this, you fucking promise me Bella! "

I gave him a peck on the lips as a response. I was aware that he was still inside of me, so I squeezed my walls so it constricted around his cock. "Mase, I need to go to Seattle in three days," I continued my squeezing and eventually I felt his cock harden.

"Bella, no fair," he hissed as he grabbed my hair to angle my face closer to his lips. "You know I can't think straight when I am deep inside you."

I squeezed again. "Jesus, fucking stop already!" he hissed. I chuckled and threw my head back. I felt his lips close around a nipple and suckled lightly. I moaned loudly.

"Your tits are so fucking juicy," he rasped when he released my hardened peak. He nuzzled his face in between my breasts and I pressed closer. I was becoming hot all over again so I pushed back slowly and looked at him.

"Mase, Seattle?" I asked. I gave him my best smile but he furrowed his brows. _Not a good sign._ I started to move my hips and he moaned.

"Please?" I said as I started to move my hips so he was now sliding in and out of me. I was also giving him the best puppy dog eyes I could so he would cave in.

"Fuck," he groaned. He bucked his hips, allowing himself to go deeper. He was biting his lips as if he was trying to have control. "If I allow it, you have to stay away from Jacob!"

I need not tell him Jacob was one reason why I needed to go, because that would freak him out. I needed to confront Jacob and put a stop to this fuckery as soon as possible before Edward gets really angry with him.

"Okay baby girl," he stilled my movements by holding my waist and looked me in the eye. "But you have to bring Seth with you."

I was elated that he finally consented without much fuss. "Yes, whatever you want." My arms snaked around his neck, pressing my naked breasts to his now exposed chest.

"God, I love you!" he said before he caught my lips in his in a gentle kiss.

When we parted for air, I suddenly realized there was still the matter of what happened earlier we haven't yet discussed.

"You told me you'd tell me why you needed to have an emergency sit-down with your men."

He frowned, but instead of answering he bucked his hips again, and I gasped. He was distracting me. _The sneaky bastard._

"I promise we'll discuss it when you come back from Seattle," he said, and grinned mischievously, "but for now, there is another matter you need to attend to."

He flipped us over so that I was lying on my back and he was on top of me, still intimately joined. "You need to satisfy your insatiable husband."

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**I hope you loved reading this chap as much as I loved writing it! ;D lol**

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**Twitter (veeblanc)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot. Names of places (eg. restaurants, malls, etc.) except the cities/towns are all made up in this story. Any similarity is purely coincidental.

**Thank you's**: To everybody reading this! =) **Webiegirl**, the pictures were wonderful-thanks!

**Beta's/Pre-reader**: Thank you to **Thaigher lillie** and **Skyebella98** for all the help. =) To **Joesmomma**, who offered to pre-read for me, I really appreciate all the help missy. =)

***I will be going on a trip for a couple of days and I'm not sure whether I will be able to finish writing the next chapter in time for next week's posting (it's only half-way finished), so if I don't post next Thursday you will know why. LOL***

**Okay, this chapter is smutty. You better enjoy it because the next lemony goodness between them will not be for another couple of chapters. Enjoy! ;D**

* * *

**CHAPTER TEN**

**BPOV**

When I woke up, Edward was nowhere to be seen. He might have gone to the office early. I scanned the room to see whether he left me a note and saw that he didn't. That was uncharacteristic of him not to do that so it only meant that he was still somewhere in the penthouse. I decided to get up and wash myself up before I went looking for him.

I found him in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. He was only wearing his boxers and a thin shirt that showed off the tattoo on his forearm. _Baby girl_ was etched cryptically on his skin, occupying his whole left forearm. The sight of that tattoo was doing something to me early this morning. _God, I am really becoming a horny bitch!_

I went to him and snaked my hands around his waist as I kissed his shoulders. He just mumbled a good morning and continued to prepare what looked like pancakes.

"What are you doing Mase?" I asked him as I nuzzled my face on his back. I slipped my hand under his shirt and started rubbing the skin below his navel. He stiffened and I chuckled.

"I'm making pancakes baby," he said in a tortured voice. I inserted my hand on the edge of his boxers and started rubbing the skin there, back and forth. His smell was intoxicating me and I started kissing his back through the thin layer of cloth.

"Jesus, Bella stop that," he hissed. "I need you to eat breakfast before you leave!" I was scheduled to fly out to Seattle in two hours but I knew I had enough time to seduce him and get him in bed with me.

"Don't you want me?" I asked disappointingly, pouting my lips in protest. "You wouldn't be seeing me for a week."

I released my hands on his waist and pushed away from him. I was kind of offended that he didn't want to have sex with me especially when it was my first time to initiate it.

He turned so suddenly and looked at me. I knew the disappointment was clear on my face and he saw it. He came forward towards me and lifted me to him, the pancakes completely forgotten. I hitched my legs around his waist as he nuzzled my neck. He was a little bit scruffy. The stubble on his face was rough against my smooth skin but his nuzzling was sending waves of pleasure down my heated core. _Goddamn, I was already so fucking wet. _

He raised his face from my neck and mumbled, "You fucking know I can't get enough of you, baby girl. Why don't we eat breakfast first before we do this." He wiggled his eyebrows and I just gaped at him incredulously. I couldn't believe this.

"Why don't you eat me first before we do breakfast," I cooed in his ears. He growled as he pulled my hair back so he was now looking at me with lust-filled eyes. He bucked his hips and I was now aware how hard he was.

He leaned forward and took my lower lip in between his teeth and started alternately biting and sucking it. I moaned because it fucking felt so good. He slowly lowered me down and walked away. I groaned in frustration.

"Masen, what the hell?" I shouted. He turned around and gave me a smirk.

"So impatient to be fucked, aren't you?" He chuckled as he strode towards our bedroom. _Shit, now I'm so worked up_. I raised myself up and sat on top of the center island in the kitchen to wait for Edward's return. _What the hell is taking him so long?_

Just then Edward came back and I couldn't help but stare at his crotch. He was still sporting a very massive erection and my pussy couldn't seem to contain its excitement. He saw what I was staring at and I couldn't help but blush from my blatant sexual perusal.

"Strip," he said authoritatively. He cocked his brow as I just sat there looking at him. "You were the one who wanted to play so I am playing baby girl. So fucking strip already."

I was only wearing a thong underneath his shirt I snatched from the couch earlier. So I raised his shirt up my body and removed it. I made a move to remove the panties as well but he caught my wrist and whispered.

"Leave only that," his smooth velvet voice whispered against my ears, intoxicating me more. "Now lay down on the table spread eagle baby."

I did what he said and laid down. He pulled my legs so it was dangling over the edge of the island. He then went around and caught one of my wrists and fastened what felt like a tie around it.

"What are you doing?" I asked in a soft voice, even though I have a pretty good idea what he was up to. I have never been tied before but my body doesn't seem to be opposed to it since I was now leaking and my thong was already soaked.

"Shhh, so impatient." When he was content that he had the tie latched properly on my wrist, he pulled it so he could secure the other end on one of the handles of the cabinets at the other side of the island. Then he repeated the same process to my other hand.

"Are you okay baby? It's not too tight?" he asked, his breath was hot against my ears. I shook my head. He then moved around the countertop so he was now between my legs and very slowly he pulled the skimpy underwear down my legs. He slid his hands on the inner portion of my thighs and nudged it both apart. Now my legs were parted and I was completely exposed to him. He gave me a smirk before bending down to take one long swipe along my slit with his tongue. _I moaned._ It felt so good so I bucked my hips so he would continue. He just shook his head and caught one of my ankles. He duplicated the thing he did with my hands, fastening one leg to the cabinet handle while the other one was left free to move. I was stretched to the hilt and my wrists were starting to hurt a bit. I tried to move it but it was tied so securely that there were little movements for my hands.

I saw Edward strip to his boxers. The taut muscles of his chest and stomach were visible and if I was not tied down, I would have licked and kissed it.

He moved closer and bent forward so we were nose to nose. "Is this what you want baby?" He thrust his hips and I felt his impressive erection hit my now dripping pussy.

"Yes," I said hoarsely. He started sucking hard on my neck and I moaned. _That would certainly leave a mark_.

He was now trailing open mouth kisses from my neck to the valley of my breasts. He started licking the skin there before moving to capture the nipple in his mouth to suck and bite. His hand was kneading my other bare breast while he took the nipple of the other breast between his thumb and forefinger. When he started pulling and pinching, I whimpered because it felt so fucking good.

"Oh God, that feels amazing!" I moaned. I grasped the tie in my fist because that was the only thing I could do.

"He is not here baby, only me," he murmured against my breasts. "So you only fucking moan my name!" He then greedily latched on my breast; sucking and licking then turning to the other one to give the same attention he just did the other. The pleasure plus the pain was beginning to be too much so I begged.

"Masen, baby please!" I pleaded. "Please fuck me."

"Not yet," he hissed. "I'm in control here. I decide when you get my fucking cock inside you!"

"Shit…..oh….that feels so good…"

He started running kisses from my stomach down to my inner thigh. I quickly tried to rub my thighs together get some friction but he held the thigh of my free leg and pushed it as wide as he could. "I want you fucking open for me!"

And without warning he dipped his head and started licking my pussy. "Shit, you taste so fucking good!" I just mumbled something incoherent in response because I couldn't think straight anymore. I felt him suck on my clit. The sensation was so good that I thought I might faint.

"Bite me!"

He chuckled against my clit and I almost exploded. Then suddenly I felt him bite me and I moaned. I needed more. "Harder!" I rasped out loudly. When he did, my orgasm hit me and I couldn't help but scream his name. He lapped on my juices as I came down my high.

I could hear him fumbling to remove his boxers. Once he was naked, he pushed my free leg up so he could settle in between me in a more comfortable position.

"Did I eat you good baby?" he asked with a smirk. As if he needed to ask. My reaction alone could attest that he was really fucking good in everything. I just gave him a smile. He grabbed my breast and squeezed. "Did I? Tell me!" he growled.

"Yes, Mase, you ate me good!"

"I am so fucking hard for you. I can't wait to be inside here!" he said as he inserted two fingers inside me.

He removed his fingers and slammed inside me without warning. I heard a scream before I realized that it was my own voice shouting. I would definitely be hoarse after. My position was becoming uncomfortable but it didn't matter then because all that mattered was the tension building between my legs and how I can find release.

"Fuck!" he yelled over and over again as he pounded inside me. Our moans and the slapping of our skin were the only sound that could be heard in the entire suite. He was rubbing my clit while playing with one of my breast.

"Goddamn, you look more beautiful when I'm fucking you!" he murmured as his cock slid in and out of me.

"Yes, yes!" I couldn't hold out as I felt I was about to break. "Shit, I'm cumming!"

"Fuuck!" he shouted as I felt his cock twitch and shoot his load inside me and slumped against me, breathing heavy.

We stayed that way for a few minutes, trying to catch our breaths. When we were both settled, he helped me pull up in a sitting position. We were still naked, and sweaty but he gathered in his arms. He was resting his forehead on mine while he gave me small pecks on the lips.

"Can you not go to Seattle?" he asked softly. His hands were rubbing my back softly.

I pulled back to look him in the eye and gave him a smile. "Mase, I told you I have to go. It's important. Besides, you already promised me that I could go."

He sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. "I guess I did promise." He pulled me back in his arms. "It's just that I'm going to fucking miss you!"

I gave a small laugh as I kissed his neck. "I'll miss you too. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you when I come back."

"You fucking better," he whispered. He lifted my face to give me a long kiss. "I love you so much baby girl. You be careful there okay?"

I nodded and gave him a slow smile. We sat there embracing each other for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's warmth.

ooooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

"Rose, don't worry too much about it," I reassured her. I just landed just a couple of minutes in Sea-Tac airport and the limo was already making it's way to SOH, where Rosalie was already waiting for me. We would be discussing details on my turning over the managing of SOH to her.

She was my right hand in all the years I was handling the hotel, so I wasn't really worried but she was. I would still have major say on the overall flow of operations, and it would be done easily even if I were in Chicago. I shifted in my seat to check my appearance while I held the phone in my hand.

"Bella dear, I don't fucking think that I can handle this without you," she whined.

"Babe, I would still be with you," I told her. "I am only a phone call away. Besides you would still be running down everything by me before any final decision be made, so when there's a fuck up it will still be by me."

I can hear her nervous chuckle against the phone. "Oh Bella, you just made my day by that statement."

Before I could respond, I heard a beep from my phone. What I saw when I checked it caused me to frown.

"Rosie, I gotta go," I informed her. "There's an incoming call and it's from Jacob." She snorted at the mention of his name. "See you in a bit hon." I cut off that call and answered the one incoming.

"Jake," I said in a stiff voice.

"Bella, have you landed?" he asked in an excited voice. "I can't wait to see you."

I almost snapped at him but I refrained myself. I needed to be calm and collected when I met with him. "Jake, I didn't come here in Seattle just for you." I didn't tell him that he was the main reason for this visit because he would see it as something more than it really was. I really needed to straighten things up with him for his own good. I knew Edward was at his last thread of patience with him and he would sure be another corpse when Edward really loses it.

Jake didn't seem to have any self-preservation because if he did, he wouldn't dare send me flowers in our home. I still value our friendship that's why I was willing to clear things up with him.

"It doesn't matter if you didn't because you're here now and in a couple of hours I'll be seeing you again," he said excitedly.

I groaned aloud, really exasperated with him. He really did have a thick head if he didn't know that I was not available anymore. _Not that I would be dating him either if I weren't_. "Jake, stop this. I am trying to be patient with you!"

He stayed quiet after that, his was breathing heavy and I wanted more than nothing to throw my phone away. "Ok Bella, I'm sorry." His voice suddenly changed to a more formal tone that I wasn't even sure it was the same person I was talking to a while ago. "I'll talk to you later. Goodbye."

Before I could respond, I heard a click and knew he already cut the call. I wasn't having a good vibe about our upcoming meeting but I would do my best to put in that idiotic brain of his that I wouldn't be his in any way.

I looked at my watch and saw that it was almost lunch here so it was around two in the afternoon in Chicago. I was expecting a call from Edward. He promised me that he would be checking up on me but since I didn't have anything to do while we taxied around the highway to reach SOH, I decided to call him myself. I just hope that he wouldn't be in a meeting with his men. The last three days, he was so busy organizing his men that it cemented the fact that there was something big happening. I wasn't able to coax it out of him but he promised though that we would be discussing it when I get back. The one obvious thing was he increased both our securities. Seth and another guard were mandated to go with me here as well as Quil.

I turned around to look for the SUV that should be following the limo, however it looked like it was stuck a couple of cars away because of traffic. I sighed.

Quil was riding shotgun in front of the limo while Seth was in the other car. He was with the other guards sent by Emmett to fetch me.

I was about to dial Edward's number when suddenly I heard a loud sound. I didn't know what it was and my heart started to pound against my chest. When the limo started to skid out of control, I knew that it was our car that caused that loud sound. _Fuck! What was happening?_ I held on the car handle to brace myself. Just then everything went blur as I felt myself be thrown against the roof of the car and I felt pain somewhere in my body. _Shit!_

I didn't know what was happening, all I knew was that I was being flung like a rug doll against the inside of the car several times, round and round. It was a blur. Another hard jerk of the car happened and that threw me against another solid hard thing that caused me to scream. I might have blacked out because the car was in a halt and the spinning stopped. I moved and I winced. _Dammit!_ I was having pain in my chest and it was getting harder to breathe. My head was throbbing and a wave of nausea hit me. I tried to ignore the pain as I crawled, searching blindly for the door with my hands.

I heard someone groan and I tried will myself to open my mouth. "Quil?" My voice was raspy and so soft that I could hardly hear myself. There was no answer.

I was on a verge of another black out but I needed to get out of this car. As I crawled, the car swayed and I heard the squeaking sound of metal. I felt something warm slide down my face and knew it was blood before I smelt it. I didn't have it in me to panic because every part of my body was aching.

I fumbled with the handle of the door but was making no progress when suddenly it was yanked open. Somebody cursed but I couldn't see who it was because my vision was blurring. I heard muffled shouts but couldn't comprehend what they were saying as I allowed the blackness to cave in.

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**Okay people, I hope you liked it (crossing my fingers). =) Review please.**

Also a friend of mine has a new story out. Please go check it out and send her some love. =) **_Starting Over_** by Elvirina.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot. Names of places (eg. restaurants, malls, etc.) except the cities/towns are all made up in this story. Any similarity is purely coincidental. I do not own _Northwest Hospital_.

**Thank you's**: To everyone for the love! **_Freaking amazing that this story is still continuously being added to favorites and/or alerted! _**To my ever-loyal **anonymous reader (pink)**-thank you for always making a review! -Girl, PM me so I can get to know yah! =)

**Beta's/Pre-reader**: Thank you to **Thaigher lillie **for liking this chap even in it's _original state (does that make sense? I don't even effin' know what I'm sayin' here!)_, which saved it from being deleted. She's the reason why we have this chap., so go thank her!; to **Skyebella98**, who likes everything I write! (which IMO, is just so weird! Lmao)-she might kill me for this (sorry sweets!;D); to **Joesmomma**, who helped me review all the previous chaps. She's effin' amazing! =)

**Okay, I'll shut up now... Get to reading!**

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**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**EPOV**

I kicked the seat that was in front of me._ Motherfuckingshit!_ I gave the leathered chair another blow with my foot, the cushion underneath its tough exterior preventing me to bore holes in it.

Once I started kicking, I couldn't seem to stop. _Thud! Thud! _I channeled all my fury unto the upholstery. My shin even hit the aluminum arm, shooting pain along that portion of my leg. But that didn't stop me. I knew my face was red from exertion. I could even feel sweat forming on my forehead. My arms and legs were already protesting from the vigorous activity of punching and kicking that I had been doing for hours now. _I don't fucking care!_ I needed to let off steam or else I would do something that would put us in danger-like putting a hole on the plane. My anger usually gets the better of me, and this time it wouldn't do me any good because whatever happened, I needed to get to my baby girl. I suddenly stopped my maniacal assault and just stood there for a minute breathing heavy. I turned around and saw all my men looking at me worriedly. I balled my fist and felt the exhaustion take over me.

_Fuck! _Hands clenched at my sides, I slumped back down on my own seat. I was sucking in deep breaths, trying to get control of myself. It was a good thing that Alice had the presence of mind to take away my gun earlier. She said she would keep it for me in the mean time. But I knew she was just being cautious because I was known to have anger issues, which in this case would do more harm than good.

I felt Alice touched my shoulders in her attempt to quiet me down. I put my hands on my face and closed my eyes.

"Edward, you've got to pull yourself together," she said softly. She was rubbing my back but it didn't help soothe me.

"I just got her back, Ali," I groaned. It was when I rubbed my eyes with my palm that I felt the moistness; it was tears I unknowingly shed. "I can't fucking lose her."

"Don't you dare talk like that!" she hissed. I could hear her take a deep breath before saying, "Rosalie said she's in stable condition so no need for us to worry."

I detected something in her voice and knew she was keeping something from me. I raised my eyes to hers but there was nothing there that suggested otherwise. But I wasn't appeased.

"Goddammit Ali, you tell me the truth!" I roared, scowling at her. "Is she really okay? Nobody is fucking talking to me!"

"Of course, Edward," she said seriously. Her eyes were soft trying to console me. "She is still unconscious Edward. Rosalie just said that she has some cracked ribs."

I clenched my hands. She's hurt. Somebody wanted to hurt her. _This is my fault. _If I wasn't so consumed with lust I should've trusted my instinct and forbade her to go to Seattle. Now she was lying in the hospital bed injured.

_My baby girl had been hurt! Somebody will fucking pay for this!_

The plane's engine was roaring and I concentrated on that noise, trying to distract myself long enough so the anger would subside. Even for a little bit.

Our flight attendant appeared beside Alice and dutifully served us some whisky. I took the glass and drank it in one long gulp and then set it back for refill. I needed to drink to calm my nerves. We were still an hour away from Seattle and I didn't think I could wait that long. I felt so fucking useless. It was like hell on earth.

"She knows you love her Edward," I heard Alice murmur. She kneeled and stared me in the eyes, conveying through it the message that she wanted me to believe her. "That alone will make her get through it."

"I really fucking hope so Ali," I rasped. My voice was raw, and I was sure she detected the severe pain I was feeling. Not that my actions didn't say it. I didn't know how I could cope if I lose her again.

I wanted her embrace, her smell and her voice to tell me everything was all right. _I was still a fucking selfish bastard! She was in the hospital and all I could think of was she comforting me. _She was the only one who could do that to me. Like a balm to a sore, she could soothe my ache, her presence lighting up my shitty days. Now she wasn't here. She was injured. That thought alone made me livid with anger, so I clenched my fist so hard it turned white. I looked at my hand covered in bandage. My knuckles were surely bruising, and the cuts were bleeding from the incident earlier. I rubbed the covered skin with the other hand, trying to remember the earlier physical pain. I would take that any day, many times over, than this pain in my chest.

I really couldn't remember what exactly happened after that phone call with Rosalie. All I knew and felt was the rage that was coming deep inside me like an inferno and was bursting out of control, consuming me at that very moment.

The day started fairly well with that counter sex. _I grinned as I remembered. It was so fucking hot! _But right after she left however, my morning turned shitty. I was already missing Bella, and my worries on the text message I received were escalating. There was new information that would lead back to the Volturri's. On top of it all, the unexplainable feeling that something was out of place or that something bad was going to happen; like when the Feds were already shitting on our asses, or during those times when we were going to war with a rival unit. I couldn't shake off the feeling. But I was so certain that nothing was going to happen to Bella, Seth being with her and all, that I had just shrugged it off. I went to see Carlisle to make a consultation.

_"Well Carlisle, I think the V's have something up their sleeves," I informed him. "I received an anonymous text message yesterday. Fucking assholes, threats over the phone. Like fucking kids."_

_"Edward, are you sure about it being them?" he asked. I shook my head no, but he saw the determined set of my shoulders and knew that I would be investigating. "What are you gonna do about it?"_

_"Well, I wanted to send some men over to Italy," I said seriously. " but that would definitely cause some stir. And you know father wouldn't be thrilled that I will be the one to mess the truce he did with them."_

_"That would definitely alert them," he said. "But I don't see the point in them retaliating. You're just gonna send men to make surveillance, aren't you?"_

_"Yes," I said. I lit the cigar I had been holding and started puffing. "Do you think it would be wise? I don't want to stir something not unless I am sure about it. They haven't even made any attempts to hassle the Swans in Seattle after my marriage to Bella."_

_"Maybe it isn't them," he said. "Or maybe it is only a ruse. We really can't say. But I agree that you send your people in Italy. Just make sure they'll keep their hands clean."_

_"I'll fucking make sure they do," I said. "I got one man that they call snake. Involved in Charlie's death, or so they say. Vicky and Alistair are still on the prowl for this person, though I am fucking hoping we'll be getting some information on him soon."_

After that consultation with my consigliere, which left me satisfied and contented with my plans, I went to the hotel to meet with Alice and Jasper and had a late lunch with them. I informed Jasper of all the new developments, which he in turn would be responsible to make effect. We did this over roast beef and potato salad.

The call was made by Rosalie minutes after our lunch. At first I was having difficulty understanding her because she seemed incoherent and had to repeat herself a couple of times before I understood. _Bella was in a freaking accident!_

I was in a trance after that. I couldn't remember my actions right after I heard the words that made my day a living hell. When I came out of that trance and was conscious enough to check my surrounding, Bella's office looked like a storm just hit. Papers were strewn everywhere, chairs were toppled down and figurines were now shards of glasses and ceramics on the floor. I felt a stinging pain on my hand and checked to see that my right hand was all bloodied. I raised my head in question, trying to decipher what the hell happened. It was then I saw that Jasper's nose was bleeding. They explained that during my rage-like explosion, where I was continuously punching the wall, Jasper intervened to calm me down. Instead, it was his face that received my next punch. I didn't even feel remotely sorry to anything I did because I was still numb and disoriented. One thing was clear though; I needed to go to Seattle. Bella needed me.

We left as soon as the plane was ready. Alice insisted on coming along. Jasper was left behind in Chicago to see through things. I needed to apologize to him because I punched him earlier today. I was extremely grateful that I didn't break his nose.

The remainder of the flight was silent. Alice sat beside me, glancing my way every now and then. Checking whether I was okay. When we landed, we went directly to _Northwest Hospital_ where Bella was confined. Before the car even completely halted at the entrance, I was already out of it and making my way to information. She was in a private room in the third floor. I hurriedly made my way, Alice practically running to keep up with me.

I saw Emmett with Rosalie talking to a doctor. When they saw me, I was merely a foot away from them.

"Cullen," Emmett said in acknowledgement. He was scowling at me and I returned it with my own.

"Where is she?" I asked. My heart was pounding against my chest. I didn't know what to expect but I was impatient to see her.

Rosalie nodded her head to the door behind her. "She's sleeping Edward." Emmett's whole demeanor suggested he didn't want me to go inside Bella's room, but he didn't say anything.

"Fuck! I need to see her. She's my fucking wife!" I muttered, loud enough for everyone within a few feet to hear. I didn't fucking care if this was a hospital and that they needed peace and quiet. I would make a goddamn fuss if I wanted to, nobody could stop me. _I'm Edward fucking Cullen!_ Nothing and no one could prevent me from seeing her. I needed to see for myself that she was okay. I pushed past them towards where I assumed was Bella's room.

I stepped into the room and my breath caught in my chest. Bella was lying still on the bed, looking so small and pale. The only sound inside was the beeping sound coming from the monitor beside her bed. I took the remaining steps that would allow me to be near her. What I saw made me cringed. Her beautiful face was full of bruises and cuts. About a centimeter before her hairline, there was a long gash that was already stitched. Her eyebrow, chin and cheeks were bruised. I instinctively reached forward to touch her cheek. As if she sensed me, she sighed and moved her face closer to my hand. I traced her lips with my fingers, drawing comfort from it. _The important thing now is, she is alive!_

An I.V was attached to her right hand but I took it carefully in mine and squeezed lightly. The hospital gown she was wearing was a little big for her, the neckline showing of her left shoulder. I could see bruising and bandages there. Her pallor was paler than before and that made me worry. I was so concerned of seeing her first that I didn't get talk to a medical professional yet about her status. Neither Emmett nor Rosalie volunteered any information. I was about to turn and walk out to find some answers when I heard Rose.

"She was awake a while ago. Just before you arrived," she whispered as I faced her. She never shifted her gaze from Bella. "She was looking for you."

"Shit," I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. I was frustrated that I didn't catch her earlier. I sighed loudly and checked her sleeping form once again. The sight of her relaxed me a bit and I sighed again. I wanted to hug her but I knew she was sore all over, not to mention I would be disturbing her. I focused my attention on Rose instead and the information I needed.

"What the hell happened Rose?" I asked, the edge in my voice obvious.

It was then she pulled her gaze from the bed and stared at me. "Somebody fucking tampered with the steering wheel. So when the front tire exploded, the driver couldn't control the car and they turned turtle!" She gritted and her brows furrowed.

"How the fuck did that happen?" I boomed. My voice was loud enough to have woken Bella up, but it didn't. She just shifted a little on her side and returned back to sleep.

"Most of our cars are maintained by Jacob's company," she informed me.

"What did you say?" I hissed.

"You heard me," she said deadpanned. "I know you hate him. I don't like him either. But the thing is, he is Emmett and Bella's friend. And so far, he never did anything that made us think he is disloyal to us."

"I really don't fucking care!" I muttered. "That asshole is going to pay!" My anger was escalating and I wanted nothing but to release its ugly head but I was afraid that if I did, I would wake her up. I didn't care whether he directly did this or not but he was fucking responsible in a way.

"Emmett is checking on that now. He is also having a hard time dealing with this shit." She said softly. She was frowning and her eyes were reflecting something I couldn't understand. "He is so protective of her."

"Who the hell is responsible Rose?" I asked seriously_. Goddammit, if I could only get a hold of these motherfuckers. They would die a terrible death!_ "No one messes with me and my family! Especially not my baby girl!"

"There's more," she said and I stiffened. "Gunshots were fired that caused the tires to explode."

"Jesusfuckingchrist!" I muttered and rubbed my fingers on my forehead. She saw my hand and reached out to touch it. "What the fuck happened to your hands? It's bleeding."

I checked and surely the blood was seeping through the bandage, discoloring the clean white cloth to maroon. "It's nothing."

"Fuck it Cullen," she said. "I'll call a nurse to check it." Before I could even utter a word, she was out the door. Alice chose that moment to make her entrance. Her eyes locked with mine, giving me a tentative smile before coming beside me.

She placed her hand on my arm before saying, "She's okay Edward. I talked to her doctor."

I snapped my head at her, waiting for any information. She waited until I was breathing evenly before she told me, "She got a couple of cracked ribs and a concussion, but aside from that she got off the accident pretty mildly."

_What did she fucking mean?_ I frowned and said nothing. She waved for me to follow her. When we were outside the room, it was the only time she spoke. "The front of the limo was totally smashed. Their driver died on the spot. Quil is still in ICU."

That information unnerved me. It could have been Bella. But it was not. I was sure though that when she would find out about Quil, she would freak out. It would be the same way if I knew that Seth or any of my personal guards would be wounded. They were willing to risk their lives for me so when something bad happened to them, it would affect me. They were like a second family.

Just then, a nurse came and tried to usher me somewhere to clean up my wounds. I declined to move from where I was standing and demanded that we do the cleaning there. She just stood staring at me, debating on what her next move would be. Alice saved her.

"Don't be a prick Edward," she muttered. She pointed to the muscles scattered around the hallway. "She is well protected. You need to clean that wound or else it will be infected." For such a small person, she was quite strong. She pushed me to the nearest chair and motioned the nurse to do the cleaning there.

The nurse expertly cleaned the wound with antiseptic before putting on another set of bandage. Alice was beside me, quietly observing the effectiveness of the nurse. When all was finished she whispered to me, "She was fucking dazzled. Couldn't keep her eyes off of you." She smirked at me.

"What the fuck are you talking about Ali?" I snapped at her. She scoffed off.

"You really didn't notice that?" she raised her brow in question. I frowned. "Yeah, you didn't" she muttered in confirmation.

I felt a presence beside me and checked whom it was. Seth was standing uncomfortably before me. "Boss, I'm so fucking sorry."

I pushed myself up from the chair and stared at him. I could feel my nose flaring. I grabbed his arm and stalked off to find a deserted area, the stairs. I grabbed his shirt by the collar and pushed him against the wall. My eyes were definitely reflecting the anger and disappointment I was feeling.

"I left Bella in your care, Seth!" I growled at him. "Where the fuck were you? Goddammit, I trusted you to take care of her!"

"I…I'm so sorry," he stuttered. "My car was stuck behind in traffic! I swear boss, if I could trade places with her I would!"

I could see the sincerity in his eyes and I released him, and he slumped back. I knew that he would do anything to keep Bella safe, even giving his life in exchange. I was just so fucking angry that I was looking for somebody to vent my frustrations on.

"You're lucky I know you're telling me the truth!" I hissed. "Or else, you're a fucking dead man!" I left him there staring at me.

I went back to Alice, who was now standing beside Emmett trying to coax some information from him. I only caught a portion of what was being said, but it didn't take me long to interrupt.

"Did you just fucking say that Jacob was here?" I raged. As the minutes went by, information reached me that made me angrier that I was before. I couldn't even fathom that was possible. "When?"

"An hour before you arrived," he said. "He was with Leah."

"Why did you fucking allow it Emmett?" I was now livid with anger with Emmett. _He was so fucking stupid! _"We don't even know if he caused that shit! Didn't you think about Bella's safety?"

Emmett straightened his back. He looked liked he was about to lunge after me. His scowl was murderous, and I returned it with my own. "Are calling me stupid Cullen? Huh? Or doing something to compromise Bella's safety?"

I just looked at him, heaving. I wanted to yell at him that he did. How could he allow Jacob to come anywhere near Bella when we were suspicious of him. _Goddammit! _I really wanted to punch somebody. And he was becoming a very good candidate at the moment. I scanned the hospital area and so some of the medical staff were looking at us curiously. However much I wanted to vent my frustrations in a fight, I couldn't take the chance that we would be evicted from this hospital. Bella needed the best medical treatment and we couldn't afford to bring her home just yet.

"No. I didn't say that, did I? " I lied and stared at him in the eyes. "I was just fucking wondering why you'd do that?" He scratched his head, as if he was wondering the same thing. "He begged. Since he has been a good friend, and Leah was with him…I allowed it."

Rosalie chose to speak that moment. "However, after that visit, she needed to be sedated because she looked as if she was having a panic attack-the weirdest thing." I looked at Rose and she had this baffled look on her face.

I was about to say something before Rosalie interrupted me. "Let's stop pointing fingers who is at fault here. The important thing is she is okay. Our men are doing their best to find what happened and who the hell is responsible."

"Sam is interrogating Jacob as we speak," Emmett said. "We'll know when he returns. It's a good thing I have most of the police force on the pad. They kept this whole incident under wraps."

For once I was grateful that Emmett made that initiative. I didn't want my rivals to have any more ammunition against me.

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	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**BPOV**

_No, Quil! No! _

He was standing a few feet away. His Native American features were more pronounced now in our strange surroundings. He was covered in blood. He grinned at me before turning and running away from me. I panicked because he was leaving me.

_No, he can't. Edward will be furious!_

I knew from the way he was moving that he was hurt. I wanted to help him, but he was far away, lost in the throng of people that were now in front of me. _Where the fuck did they come from? _I wanted to run away myself because the crowd was so overwhelming, but there were so many people I couldn't get past. I couldn't even see their faces because they were all fuzzy. To add to all the craziness, they were all talking simultaneously. It was like they were just inches away from my ears, different voices murmuring and shouting things at me. They were getting so loud that it was hard to decipher anything they were saying.

I shook my head in the hopes it would go away, that all this weirdness would just fade and leave me in peace. However, it just seemed to intensify. Slowly the words became clearer.

_Bella, I missed you!...Where's your freakin' car now?...I love you! _

I could pick up some phrases, but couldn't identify the voices.

_You're such a fucking slut!...Ooh baby, look what I got you for Christmas! _

I scanned the faces frantically, but I was still unable to recognize the people who were talking to me. It was like a vision of fuzziness there to taunt me.

_Fucking get me out of here!_ I shouted to nobody in particular. My heart was pounding against my chest. Whoever these people were knew me, and I had a feeling they were out to get me. I moved and suddenly I was in the middle of the crowd. I was baffled to how that happened, but didn't linger too much on it. The need to escape was so great. I had to get away but I wasn't sure how to make that happen.

_Bella baby, you married Masen? _a voice asked, and I snapped my head towards it.

_Holy fuck, what happened to you?_

I turned again, trying to find the voice.

_Why didn't you just die? You should have been dead, you bitch!_

I stopped suddenly. That voice, the voice of that last statement, was so familiar. I frowned, straining to hear it again. I scanned my brain, trying to remember whom it belonged to, but couldn't put a face to it. A form suddenly appeared in front of me. It was blurry like the rest of them. I tried to reach out, but the figure suddenly dissolved into a cloud of smoke.

_Holy shit! What the fuck is happening?_

The crowd suddenly moved toward me, suffocating me with their proximity. I pushed hard, as hard as I could, but they wouldn't budge. I was panicking, jumping, and trying to see anyone who could help me. Nobody was there for me, so I started shouting. _Maybe somebody would hear me and pluck me out of this goddamn mob!_

Then without warning I could feel tremors, like the earth was shaking. The mob dispersed just as quickly as they appeared. I tried to run, but I couldn't. It seemed I was rooted to my spot. I couldn't understand what just happened. After all the weird people and the voices, I was suddenly alone. I shook my head in the attempt to make all the madness go away, but I felt more disoriented than ever. Instead of moving another muscle, I stayed where I was standing, and waited for something to happen. The shaking continued. I waited for the earth to open up and swallow me whole.

_Holy shit!_

Suddenly I heard the sweetest voice. A very familiar one, and I felt a calm washed over me. I began moving in the direction the voice came from. The shaking halted, and I was afraid the voice would disappear with it. To my utter joy, it just got louder and clearer.

"_Baby, you've got to wake up! Bella!"_

I opened my eyes slowly and what I saw made my heart leap. The most hypnotizing green orbs, that one I loved the most, were staring back at me.

"Oh, thank god!" he said. I stared at him. His beautiful face was etched with worry and it made me frown. He gave me a smile, and kissed me gently on the lips before settling in the chair beside my bed.

"You were having a nightmare," he informed me. He reached out and stroked his fingers on my cheek softly. I nuzzled closer, needing more skin contact. "You scared me there, babygirl!" I didn't know if he was talking about the nightmare or the accident. Maybe both.

"I love you," I said, raising my eyes to his. I wanted nothing more than to hold and kiss him to prove the love I felt for him. I had always been a much more effective communicator through physical contact.

"God, I fucking love you!" he rasped out. He was leaning closer, and I felt his cool breath against my skin. He was hovering, and I wanted nothing more than to pull him to me. "I don't know what I would do without you!" he said forcefully. His head dipped so his face was now nuzzling my neck. I sighed because it felt right, him with me. _Always with me._

I sighed, loving the soft kisses he planted on the skin of my neck. It was weird this kind of contact could reassure me more than just him touching my hand. He raised his head to check and see if I was okay.

I gave him a small smile and said, "It's okay babe." He gave my lips another sweet kiss before sitting back down on the chair.

It was my chance to check him out. He had stubble growing, which only meant he was either too pre-occupied to shave or he was here beside me the whole time. Knowing him, it would be the latter. He looked tired and had shadows under his eyes. I reached out to touch him and winced. _Shit! That hurt!_

That didn't stop me though, stubborn ass that I was. I tried to move but even the slightest movements made me cringe. He was suddenly out of his chair, trying to help me.

"Shit!" I muttered. The pain was so intense I couldn't stop wincing.

"Fuck, babygirl, stop moving!" he yelled. He looked panicked, and I pitied him. He held me in place, and I stopped trying to get up. The pain was a bitch, and I didn't have the strength to argue with Edward right now.

"I'll adjust the bed for you," he said, pushing a few buttons. The bed tilted upwards, allowing me to be in a comfortable sitting position, or as comfortable as I could be.

A strand of hair fell on my face, but before I was able to move my hand to remove it, his warm, comforting hands pushed it back behind my ear. He put his hand on my cheek, and I moved my face into his palm.

"I was so fucking scared when I heard you were in an accident," he rasped. I could see the pain in his eyes, and all I wanted to do was erase it. I knew how he felt. I would fucking lose my mind if I ever lost him. I gave him a small smile. "I thought I lost you, babygirl."

"Nah, I'm not that fragile, you know," I teased, trying to lighten his mood. He frowned and didn't seem to find my teasing funny. He just gazed at me for a long time. His unwavering stare was making me self-conscious. I tried to fix myself, but one movement caused so much pain. I cursed, and he did the same.

"God, babygirl, stop that!" He helped me, steadying my movement so I wouldn't fall down from the hospital bed.

"Don't be self-conscious around me," he said softly, his hand making light touches all over my face. He always seemed to know the right things to say at the right time. His assurance made me feel much better about my appearance. I sighed. "You're still so beautiful even with those bruises and the untamed hair."

We stayed in our little bubble for what seemed like forever, murmuring things to each other I knew was a little corny, but was totally sweet at the same time. There was also the occasional gentle peck on the lips, in between his loving touches.

We were interrupted when Alice appeared in her usual quirky exuberance.

"Bella, honey, it's so good to see you awake!" she said excitedly. Edward turned his head towards her, and I saw him scowled at her. I was confused. _How long was I down?_

I raised my brows in question when Edward faced me. He knew what I was silently asking. "You've been in and out of consciousness for three days now," he added.

I scrunched my face, trying to remember everything that happened the last few days. I only had bits and pieces of events that didn't make sense. Then I remembered Quil and the driver.

The monitor beside me was suddenly making beeping sounds fast and loud, making it known to everyone inside the room it was the sound of my heart thumping away.

Edward looked worried. His frown was pronounced.

"Where's Quil?" I asked, my voice quivering. I knew something bad happened. The dream I just had was now clear but fuzzy in a fucked up kind of way. I felt like it was telling me something. _I just don't know what it is yet_.

"He is now in stable condition and has been removed from ICU," Edward said unemotionally. "He suffered some injuries, but he will survive. I can't say the same about your driver." I gasped and he leaned over to try and comfort me. "He died instantly."

"Shit, who did this?" I rasped, my throat suddenly so dry. I didn't know what to think or how to feel. I was grateful I was alive, but at the same time crestfallen that someone had died.

"We don't know yet," Alice interjected. I knew there was something they weren't saying, but I let it slide because I was still so tired. There was also something I wanted to tell them; it was lingering at the back of my mind, and was at the tip of my tongue. I knew that it was important. But for the life of me, I couldn't seem to remember what it was. _Shit!_

The doctors gave me permission to leave, so it would only be a matter of time before I would be brought home. Edward said he would be more comfortable when I was out of the hospital and in our own territory, for safety reasons. I agreed with him on that. I was sure I would be more comfortable in my own bed and in my own room. Edward would pay any needed medical professionals to make house calls. I knew I would. _I didn't want to fucking stay here any longer!_

Dr. Moore, my primary doctor, was introduced to me formally when he made his rounds. He explained some of my injuries to me. Nothing major that I needed surgery, but I had to take it slow because of the minor rib fracture I sustained. I needed to stay away from strenuous activities for at least three to four weeks. I needed to heal and that meant plenty of rest. We stayed in the hospital another two days before they allowed me fit to recuperate at home.

Emmett was like a mother hen hovering than usual. However, Edward was much worse. Between the two of them, I was ready to take a break from everyone. I needed peace and quiet because they did nothing but piss me off!

Everything went smoothly when we discharged from the hospital and made our way home, just as I wanted it to be. We had just arrived in the Swan mansion when we were hit with another round of fuckery.

_Shit, why can't I just get a break?_

I couldn't blame anyone for it. It was my fault. I slipped. I unconsciously called Edward, '_Masen'. _I made it a point not call him that around my family, especially Emmett. Maybe it was because of all the drugs coursing through my veins, or maybe it was a simple complacency issue. I was so successful in not mentioning 'Masen' around Emmett I must have forgotten to be cautious.

Everything was good up until the slip up this morning. There was a reason he shouldn't know, and the reason was now sitting in front of me.

Emmett just punched Edward in the face and he looked as if he was just starting.

"Motherfucking asshole!" Emmett yelled. He was holding Edward by the collar, pushing him against the wall. Edward, who was looking furious and confused at the same time, was trying to push Emmett off of him.

"You fucking release me you prick, or I'm going to do something that I will regret!" Edward muttered. His fist was holding Emmett's arms. They were having a pissing contest, and it felt like forever before Emmett released Edward. From my brother's expression, I knew this was far from over.

"What the fuck was that all about, Swan!" Edward asked. His face had a murderous scowl.

_This is not good! _I shook my head. _Maybe this was a hallucination of some sort from all the painkillers and antibiotics._

I closed my eyes, squeezed my eyelids shut before opening them again. The scene in front of me didn't change. _Goddammit, why did it have to be now? _My head was pounding from the effects of all the meds and my eyes were so heavy I struggled to keep them open.

My palms were sweating profusely from nervousness. My heart was racing because I knew it was at this point he would know all about the overdose. The moment of truth, whether I liked or not. _Shit! He wasn't supposed to know! It wasn't supposed to be like this!_

Emmett was heaving, and the anger was clear on his face. "Why the fuck did she call you Masen?" His hands were clenching beside him, and his knuckles were turning white. I watched his hands, afraid that he would move them inside his jacket where his gun was tucked in the holster. Though, I was fairly sure Edward was also making that assessment. _I didn't need my brother and my husband to kill each other because of that shit in New York!_

Although my body was sore, it didn't stop me from moving towards Edward, I wanted to shield him however and in whichever way I could. The sling around my left arm prevented me from hugging him, so I just stood beside Edward, knowing full well what would happen.

"Because my middle name is Masen!" he hissed. He wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at Emmett again. "Is there like voodoo something shit in that name that warranted that fucking punch?"

"So are you sayin' you're that fucking Masen from New York?" Emmett's voice was so angry.

Suddenly his head turned in my direction and his eyes conveyed the hurt he was feeling from my betrayal. "Did you know he was the same person?"

I was so high from all the drugs all I was able to do was nod. Edward's eyes were darting from Emmett and me, looking so baffled.

"I'm so sorry, Em," I cried. I loved my brother, and I hated that I wasn't honest with him about Edward being Masen.

"Can you please stop talking in circles! You're fucking confusing me!" Edward said angrily.

"Did you know she almost died in New York? Huh?" Emmett hissed. "I blame you for everything! She fucking overdosed because of your sorry ass!"

Edward's head snapped back at me and I almost cried. The pain that reflected in his eyes would be forever etched in my brain.

"Bella?" he rasped. "Is it true?" His voice was between angry and pained.

Just like earlier, all I could do was nod. I didn't know what to do because Emmett was looking like he wanted to murder somebody, while Edward looked so fucking hurt and angry. I wanted to reach out and comfort him, but Emmett's tirade wasn't finished yet.

"My father looked for you," I heard Emmett say angrily. My eyes were locked with Edward's. "I looked for you. If I knew you were the Masen we were after, we would have fucking killed you!"

Edward didn't even flinch nor did his eyes leave mine. The entire time Emmett was talking, Edward and I were assessing each other. He closed his eyes, and I could see him taking in a long deep breaths. When he opened his eyes, I was lost. I couldn't read him any longer. It was like he erected a wall I couldn't penetrate. He took a step forward and reached for me, but the voice of my brother interrupted the silent exhange.

"You fucking stay away from her!" he yelled. He was advancing towards us, and I could see Edward was livid. He pushed me a little to the side, before moving forward to Emmett.

"You make me, you fucking asshole!" Edward replied. I knew that if they weren't stopped, something really bad would happen. "Don't fucking forget I'm her husband!"

"Not for long, you're not!" Emmett countered. They were only a few steps away before I heard Rosalie growl.

"Jesusfuckingchrist!" she shouted. "Will the two of you assholes just stop it?" She had now placed herself in between the two men; her hands splayed out towards each of their chests. She was the only barrier preventing the two men from getting their hands on each other.

"Can't you see that Bella is already agitated because of the accident?" She had everyone's attention now. She used the opportunity and turned her gaze to me. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, and I suddenly felt uncomfortable. I shifted, not really knowing what to say and do at that particular moment.

It seemed Rose wasn't satisfied with what she just said because she continued her rant. "The two of you are fucking pricks!" Her voice resonated through the entire room. I wanted to cover my ears because the sound was giving me another round of headaches. It felt as if my head was splitting into two. I could feel the tension around me drain me of my strength. I struggled to hold myself up, not wanting to add to all the drama by losing consciousness. I bit my lip in my attempt to prevent the pain from showing on my face. I might have succeeded because they turned to face each other again.

Rose then pointed to the door of the house and hissed, "If you want to kill each other, go outside! Be my guest!"

With that, she stalked towards me, leaving the two men gazing at her stupidly. Emmett still looked furious, but somehow I knew he had calmed a little. Rose being pissed at him wasn't good, and he knew it. Edward had a sullen look I wanted to kiss away, but I was too exhausted to do anything. I saw Edward walk towards me but Rose held her hand to stop him.

"Back off, you two! Don't even think about coming near her anytime soon!" she threatened. Edward started to open his mouth but Rose cut him off. "I'll take care of her."

He looked as if he wanted to protest. The frown on his forehead deepened but he didn't say anything. He pinched the bridge of his nose before taking a few steps away from Emmett. I moved along with Rosalie when she started to lead me away from the foyer. I was glad she was there to support me, otherwise I was sure I would have crumpled to the floor. Suddenly, Seth was beside me to relieve Rosalie. He made a move to carry me, but I shook my head as we slowly made our way to my old room.

"Bella, babe, are you alright?" Rose asked. Her brows were creasing and she had a concerned look on her face as she moved beside me, her hand on my left forearm. "You look pale," she said. I knew that the pain and the tension I was feeling was already obvious on my face.

I tried to shrug it off, and just gave her a small smile. "I'm okay. I just need to lie down."

I surveyed my room, expecting all sorts of medical equipment and apparatus to be here ready for my use, but there wasn't anything. I was surprised that it was exactly the same as I left it before the wedding. I missed this room, but I wouldn't trade the room I shared with Edward for it.

I was surprised why my room didn't look like a hospital room filled with different kinds of medical equipment. I had expected it, and now I was confused. I wanted to ask Rose about it, but decided against it. I knew it would be revealed to me soon. Besides, there was a pressing issue that was much more important to me.

Rose helped me into more comfortable clothes, before putting me into bed.

"Rose?" I asked. I clutched the pillow beside me and decided to ask her what I dreaded at this moment. "Do you think Edward will forgive me? Do you think he'll leave?" I croaked. My voice was so weak I doubted she heard me. I could feel my eyes prickle from the tears threatening to spill over. I sniffled, waiting for Rose to say something.

"Shush, babe," she said forcefully. "That man can't even take his eyes off of you when you're in the same room. He wouldn't be able to leave you, I bet my life on it!" Her reassurance made me feel better. "You should've seen his face when he first arrived at the hospital."

Thinking about what Edward went through when he knew about my accident pained me. "What happened?" I asked, afraid to find out. My eyes were fluttering shut, but I struggled to keep them open. I wanted to know.

"Don't worry too much about it," she said as she tucked me in. Making sure I was comfortable, she removed the sling from my arm. "You get some rest and we'll talk about everything when you're feeling better." She leaned and wiped the tears from my eyes. She kissed me on the cheek and quietly left the room to let me rest.

I closed my eyes and the tears started to fall. I wanted Edward's arms around me. I knew he was somewhere, maybe angry at my deception.

I was so tired, but I wanted to talk to Edward. Shit, I knew I had a lot to explain. I tried to fight off the exhaustion, and waited for him to appear. It seemed like hours that I had been staring at the door, willing for him to come inside my room. He never came.

The exhaustion finally took over, and I drifted off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

Thank you to**Thaigher lillie,** **Skyebella98 **and **Joesmomma **for helping me make this chapter look good.

Thank you to **CitizenCullen25 **for rec'd this. Her sequel **LAMTAF 2: La Famiglia** is up, both here and in her blog. If by any chance you haven't read **Like a Moth to a Flame**, go check it out. The link to her blog is in her profile.

To all those reading/rec'dng/alerting this story, thanks! =)

**Important: **I wouldn't be able to post every Thursday of every week as I had planned-sorry. Got so many things going on right now. I'll try to post every two weeks though.

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**EPOV**

I woke up with a huge motherfucking headache. I scanned my surroundings, and knew I was alone. It took me a couple of minutes to realize I was in a hotel room. Not just any hotel, it was Bella's hotel. I checked the time, and confirmedit was late afternoon. I had slept well over ten hours, and I still felt like shit. On top of the hangover, the absence of Bella's familiar scent, which I had grown used to waking up to every morning, was fucking with my already clouded mind. The clean scent of the mattress did nothing to help calm me down. I could smell the alcohol and cigarettes from my breath, so I pushed myself up to get ready. I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my vision as I staggered to the bathroom.

The cold water hitting my heated skin was refreshing, and the throbbing in my head had lessened. I was feeling much better, although, the painkillers I took before the shower might have something to do with it.

I grimaced as I thought of the amount of alcohol I had consumed the night before. The last time I had that much to drink was when I left Bella in New York. I knew I finished a bottle or two of vodka, and had a couple of tequila shots in between. After that, I couldn't remember what went down.

I closed my eyes, allowing the water to flow through my whole body. I wasn't fully awake yet, but I needed to go back and see Bella. I knew she would be pissed I didn't go to her the night before. _Damn, I don't even know what I was thinking not going after her._ The numbness I felt after Emmett's confession had made my head fuzzy. All I wanted was to forget everything, so I went to a bar and drank myself to oblivion.

Regardless of how much I would like to remain in that state to escape my guilt, I knew I couldn't. The fact that she overdosed still remained, even after all the alcohol. I knew it was time to face everything, and I needed to be sober when it happened.

_Goddammit! Why didn't she tell me about it? _

Her accident the week before nearly sent me to the brink of insanity. I was so scared I'd lose her. I stayed with her the entire time she was unconscious, afraid she wouldn't wake up, and I wouldn't be able to stop her from leaving me. It was a little stupid since the doctor already gave the assurance she would be okay. However, I still felt the need to be with her at all times.

But then I was hit with another blow. _Fuck!_ Thinking about another hospital where Bella was in when she just came from one was too much. I wanted to go to her so badly, but I was afraid Emmett mentioning the overdose might make her reminisce that particular event in her life. It terrified me it might make her change her mind about me, or that she'd be angry and eventually convince herself I wasn't worthy of her. I wouldn't know what I'd do if she declared she didn't love me anymore. I couldn't handle to see regret in her beautiful eyes. Any contrition she might show on her decision to marry me would surely devastate me.

I could face a deranged group of motherfucking assholes or some crazy, power-hungry feds without flinching, but when it came to Bella, I seemed to lose my shit every time. The idea of Bella not wanting me anymore was unacceptable. I would do everything in my power to change her fucking mind if she decided to leave me. I swear to God, if she ever decided to leave me… I'm going to fucking kill Emmett! I would put a fucking bullet through his head like I should have done years ago.

I turned off the taps and stepped out of the shower. My phone rang just as I finished getting dressed. It was Jasper.

"Yeah," I answered. It was a good thing Jasper called because I needed a distraction. "Tell me something."

"Edward," he said cautiously. "How's Bella? Alice told me she was brought home from the hospital."

"Yes, she was lucky to have only minor injuries," I informed him. I didn't really want to talk to him about this, but I'll indulge him a bit. "The fucking car was smashed."

Just thinking about the accident and the unknown perpetrators infuriated me. My grip on the phone tightened, wanting to crush something.

"Goddamn stupid of those motherfuckers to fuck with you," he said. "You got some leads?"

"No fucking clue just yet!" I answered. "But I plan to rectify that situation very soon." He remained silent for a while before he cleared his throat.

"Edward, I know everything is tense there with the accident and all that," he said. He sounded hesitant. "But I've got to tell you about this."

I tensed at the way he said it. "What is it?" I asked. It was either good news or another fucking bad one.

"We have news on Snake," he briefed. That information made my heart race. I knew this would somehow help me score major points with Bella. Besides, I promised her help with solving Charlie's murder, and finding out who was responsible would make her happy, which in turn would make me fucking ecstatic.

"Vicky is trying to penetrate a bar where he frequents somewhere in Bellevue," he filled in. "But he is rarely seen with a woman, so we are assuming he is gay. It's hard to bribe him with sex when we don't know his sexual preference."

"Fuck, you know that's a shitty excuse!" I snapped. I was irritated he was giving me plausible excuses. "You make goddamn sure he is handled, Jasper! You fucking know how important this Snake is to me!"

"Damn, cool it there Edward!" he said, trying to pacify me. "I just told you we found him. We are going to fucking get him, if it's the last thing I do!"

"Yeah, that's fucking right, J," I confirmed. "You fucking get that asshole!"

"We'll need more surveillance though. He sounded excited, the way he always did when we found new leads. "Nothing to worry about there, boss. We'll cook something up! I can't wait to fuck this asshole up!"

"Make damn sure he won't make an escape!" I told him. "And J, I will be dealing with him myself when you get him."

His exaggerated laugh was all the response I needed. Jasper knew what I wanted, and he would deliver. He promised to get back at me when he had more news before he hung up.

I started pacing in my room. I was still so riled up. There were so much fucking shit I needed to deal with. The urge to get high was so great. There was a limitless supply of coke if I ever wanted to test our goods, but I was sure it wasn't the best idea. I knew I needed to be on top of my game and doing that shit would just mess me up. I needed to release some of my frustration some other way.

I had to get back to Bella. I didn't even know if I could look her in the eye after what I learned. _Shit, she fucking overdosed because of me_. It was all too much to bear, and it was fucking with my still throbbing head. I thought we were over that shit in New York. I had been adamant to finish it all because I wanted a fresh start with her. It seemed I didn't fucking know everything.

I palmed my face, trying to dispel the images of her in another hospital bed. I grabbed my gun, tucking it in the front of my jeans rather than in a holster, and my cigarettes, making sure I had enough for the day. I was about to go when Alice appeared.

"Good, you're up and ready," she said. "Rosalie's here. She wants to talk to you."

That one piece of information caused me to race out of my room. There in the living room of the presidential suite stood Rose. She looked pissed, and I had a feeling I had something to do with it.

"Cullen," she muttered. Her frown didn't leave her beautiful face. She walked over to me like a caged lioness out from her cage. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I want to know why the hell you didn't go to Bella last night?"

"What? I...I...shit!" I stuttered. I was confused as to why she had the audacity to be angry with me. "I got fucking wasted last night! When I woke up, I was here," I informed her. "And correct me if I'm wrong…but didn't you tell me to stay away?"

I knew I could've gone to Bella without any problems if I had wanted to. No one, not even Rosalie, could've kept me away from my wife. I wasn't going to tell Rosalie the reason I didn't visit Bella was because I was a fucking coward. I'd rather let her believe her threat had a hold on me.

Rose arched an eyebrow, and I just stared at her irritated. I needed information about Bella to appease me. "How is she?"

"Good," she replied curtly. She sighed loudly before continuing. "When I left the house, she just went back to her room to get some rest. That girl is beyond frustrated right now and it's all because of you, you moron!"

"What?" I asked frantically. I didn't want my babygirl agitated. "Why?"

"She fucking waited for you all night last night!" she spat. I could understand her anger. She was protective of Bella; everybody was, it seemed. "I didn't think you'd take my warning seriously! The least you could've done was say goodnight or something. She was freaking out, you know. I even had to promise her you wouldn't leave her."

"What? Of course, I won't fucking leave her!" I shouted. I was sounding like a complete moron, but I didn't care. "Where did she get that absurd idea? Shit, I can't even think of anything but her anymore!"

"Yeah, that's what I told her," she said. She raised her eyes from the floor and just looked at me. Then she pointed a finger at me, shaking it in my face like an adult scolding a child. "But you better fucking make sure you do what I promised her!"

I looked at her and nodded. The tension in me was radiating from my body, and I knew she could feel it. I fumbled with my pocket to get a smoke and lit it. I needed my hands to be busy, or I might smash them against something. I took a long drag before looking at her again. I was dreading what I was about to do, and I didn't even know if she was the right person to ask, but at the moment propriety was no longer an issue. As long as she had answers, I really didn't fucking care.

"What the hell happened in New York, Rose?" I asked. My voice was rough, and I was sure the pleading tone in it wasn't lost to her. She just stared at me for a while, her manicured brows creased.

"Please," I begged.

I knew I was an asshole, but that one quality also made me a great boss. I was ruthless in taking what I wanted. I had no mercy. I didn't care who got in the way of what I wanted. As long as I could have it, everything could go to hell. Now that I had Bella back, I would make sure she stayed. She was my life now, and everything about her was important to me.

Rosalie sighed and walked over to the sofa to sit, motioning for me to do the same. When we were both seated facing each other, she started her story. "I really wasn't there when it happened." I opened my mouth to ask where she was, but she held her hands to silence me. "Don't interrupt me, Cullen," she snapped.

"Sorry," I mumbled. When I turned my head to the right, I saw my older sister sitting on the sofa as well. Alice had been so quiet I didn't realize she was still in the room with us. Alice had this worried expression on her face, but I didn't have time to ask her about it because Rose started again.

"I met Bella a month after the overdose," she informed us. "But from what I have heard, it was awful. For everyone involved."

She stared off into the room in front of her, but I knew she really wasn't seeing anything. Her eyes were blank. It was obvious it was something she wasn't too comfortable to talk about. She remained silent for a long time. "I will never forget Emmett's face when he told me about it. Even several months after the 'incident', it still was a sour topic for him to discuss." She sighed, and ran her hand through her blond locks. "Do you know Emmett would do anything for Bella? I think if it comes to the point where he has to choose between the two of us, he would choose Bella." I raised my brows in question. "Oh, no, no! I'm not jealous. I'm just stating a fact," she quickly added. She then did a sarcastic laugh before staring at me. "So don't expect him to forgive you."

I shifted in my seat, trying to find a comfortable position. I remained quiet so I could hear everything she had to say. I took another drag from my cigarette as she continued with her story. "They said she was at a party with her friend Lauren, I think. I've never met her," she said, the frown on her forehead deepening.

_I met her. Lauren, the Skank. _I didn't say that aloud though.

"I think that particular party had the usual drugs. I knew Bella would smoke some pot, but she never did cocaine," she said. "I don't know why she did it. Nobody knows."

I closed my eyes and tried to block the incoming guilt. Bella was an intelligent girl, and I knew she wouldn't have done any of this if I hadn't orchestrated that scene with Victoria. It wouldn't have happened if it weren't for me. I opened my eyes and took the last puff of my cigarette before putting it out on the ashtray in front of me. Rose was staring at me, maybe assessing my reaction to what she told me so far. When I didn't say anything, she seemed comfortable enough to continue.

"From what Emmett told me, Bella took more than her body could handle. The stuff they used was pure so once she inhaled it, her body responded severely. She slumped against the floor, unconscious." She ran her hand through her hair before adding, "She was in ICU for a week or so. It was a miracle she woke from her coma."

My breath hitched, my heart was hammering so hard I thought it would beat out of my chest.

_Shit, I caused that!_

"Once she awoke, she was thoroughly interrogated by both her brother and father," she said. She was looking at me like she thought it was my fault it happened to Bella. "She just mentioned the name Masen, but nothing more. So they were never able to locate you."

That was the exact reason I used 'Masen' when I was in New York. I didn't want to be easily found just in case I fucked up while I was there. I couldn't risk it - the possibility of being targeted by someone who knew who I was. I only planned to spend my summer there with Jasper, who promised me there was plenty of fresh pussy to fuck. I had just graduated from the university and was officially free of the academia. I was just waiting for my father to assign me something, or somewhere, as an official member of the mob. I didn't plan on meeting the love of my life.

Rosalie stopped talking again and the silence in the room was deafening. Alice, who was usually a chatterbox, didn't make a sound. She was looking down at her hands that were folded on her lap.

Suddenly, Rose stood up, and I followed suit. She came closer and looked me square in the eyes. "Cullen, you need to go to Bella and don't you dare upset her anymore than you already have!"

With that, she walked out of the suite and left me staring after her.

The voice of Alice interrupted my reverie. "Go to her, Edward. Don't keep her waiting." She touched my arm, and it was a gesture of comfort. I turned and gave her a smile before leaving the room to go to my babygirl, but not before grabbing the box I asked her to get for me a couple of days ago.

ooooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

I arrived at the Swan house a couple of minutes ago. I lingered downstairs, smoking another cigarette because I was procrastinating. _What if she didn't want me anymore?_

I slowly made my way to Bella's room when I could no longer stand the suspense. I didn't know what to expect from our reunion. My heart was hammering against my chest. I could hear the 'thumping' sound ringing through my ears. I pushed the door open and quickly checked to see if she was in the bed. The room was dark, but I could see she was not where I expected her to be.

I stepped inside quietly and surveyed the room. My breath hitched when I saw Bella perched in a chair near the window. She was staring at something outside, oblivious to my entry. The light filtering inside just slightly reflected her form, and I knew she was sad…and it was all because of me. The guilt slapped me full force, but I pushed it away. I needed to do this. I slowly made my way toward her, my eyes not straying from her beautiful face. Her tortured expression pierced through my heart like a lancet, and all I wanted was to gather her in my arms and take all the sadness away.

She might have felt my presence because she suddenly whipped her head in my direction, her eyes widening in surprise. I knelt down in front of her, and it was then I saw the tears streaming down her face.

"Baby, why are you crying?" I asked. I touched her right cheek with my hand, and she shifted so her face was cradled in my palm. She sniffled and closed her eyes. She began sobbing, and I pulled her to me. Her small body was trembling against mine, and I held her tight being mindful of her injuries. I needed her warmth. She was all I ever needed. I kissed her hair as I comforted her.

When her sobs finally subsided, I picked her up and carried her to the bed. I placed her on top of the comforter and arranged her against the pillows. The whole time I was working to make her comfortable, her gaze never left me. I sat on the bed beside her and raised my eyes to hers.

"I'm so sorry, babygirl! Please don't leave me!"

I looked at her pleadingly. I was ready to beg, even if I had to get down on my knees. I didn't know what I would do if she decided she didn't want me anymore. I was still staring at her; my heart felt like it was beating a thousand beats per second. Then she gave me the most breathtaking smile I had ever seen, and I released the breath I was unknowingly holding. She started giggling, and I must have looked confused because she reached for my hand and intertwined her fingers with mine.

"I was just thinking the same thing, Mase," she said. I remembered what Rose told me earlier, and I leaned down to kiss Bella's lips.

"That would never happen, babygirl!" I said firmly. "You stupid girl, I couldn't stay away from you even if I wanted to."

She gave me another smile, however, this time it didn't reach her eyes. I squeezed her hand because I knew what she was feeling. We needed to talk about her overdose.

"So," I started. "Can you tell me what really happened?"

She sighed and tried to pull her hand away, but I didn't allow it. I held on tight and gently squeezed to show her that I was here for her.

"Well when you left, I got really drunk. When Jessica came by to see me the next day at my apartment, she immediately knew you had dumped me," she informed me. She frowned a bit, and her brows squished together. "She couldn't hide her joy even if she had wanted to," she said. "I think both she and Lauren were kinda jealous that you noticed me instead of them."

_Fucking bitches._ Bella was gorgeous and amazing. Even when she was hanging with those two skanks, she was still so intriguing. It was no wonder men were attracted to her. There was just something about her that made people gravitate towards top of all that, she was beautiful and had a fuckhot body. _Yeah, I would notice._ I was so fucking lucky she was mine.

She leaned forward, and her boobs were now in front of me. I was suddenly distracted by the sight of them, which were visible under her thin shirt. I snapped my eyes back to her face when she started talking, mentally scolding myself for my inappropriate thoughts.

"Anyway, that same night they were having a party," she continued. "I had been so wasted the night before I didn't see the need to stop. It was also a good excuse to try some new things." Her eyes were void of any expression. "You made me feel inadequate! I thought I was not good enough for you. Not beautiful, not sexy, not fun. You made me feel like I wasn't enough to keep you satisfied!"

I tightened my hand around hers and said, "Fuck, you know that's not true."

She just stared at me, neither confirming nor denying her agreement with what I had said. "So I decided I'd re-invent myself. That night, I vowed that I'd try everything. So I started my 'new image' by inhaling a packet full of coke."

I closed my eyes, trying to block the images conjured up by her statements.

"It really wasn't your fault," she stated. I opened my mouth in protest, but the look she gave me shut me up before I said anything. "Yeah, I know you, Edward. You would beat yourself up about this," she said softly. "When it was, in fact, my fault. It was stupid really."

She looked at me and I nodded for her to continue. "Well, you can say the catalyst of it was the thing I saw….you know, you and Victoria," she informed me, her forehead creased a little. I was still tense, although, her presence was calming me down. "But it was my choice to snort the coke. Not Lauren, not Jessica, not even you made that decision for me." She shifted so she was staring me straight in the eyes. I knew what she was doing. She was trying to absolve me of my guilt. "It was mine, Edward. That stupid choice was mine alone! Even if everyone doesn't agree with me."

I gathered her in my arms as best as I could. She was the best thing in my life. Nothing could compare to how precious she was to me.

"I love you so much, babygirl," I whispered as I kissed her cheek. "I'm so sorry for everything!" I wanted to elaborate, but I knew she understood what I meant.

"I love you," she said softly. "I'm so happy you're here now. I was so scared you'd leave and not even say goodbye." I shook my head and stared at her unable to say anything else. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it, but I didn't know how."

"Shhhh," I said. "It's okay, baby. We're okay." I rubbed my hands up and down her arms, comforting her. I was happy we finally got past this. I could face anything as long as my Bella was beside me. Now that I knew she still loved me, I could breathe much easier.

I pulled away, with a protest from her. I slowly walked to the door where I dropped the jewelry box earlier. I grabbed it and slowly made my way back to her. I handed her the box with the designer's logo.

"Mase, what is this?" she asked. I gave her a shy smile, feeling like a schoolboy all over again.

"I bought that for you as a get well soon gift."

She grinned back and my heart swelled. I watched as her eyes glow while she opened the gift. With twinkling eyes, she looked at me and I saw all the love she felt for me reflected through those beautiful brown orbs.

"This is beautiful, Mase!" she said. She handed me the bracelet and offered her uninjured hand for me to fasten it on. Once it was clasped, she pulled me in a sweet kiss. I refrained from deepening the kiss because she wasn't ready for that just yet.

"How much did you spend on this, Mase?" she asked. There was no way I would tell her I spent over thirty grand on that bracelet. I just gave her a smirk, and she giggled. "Not that I care, it's just that it we would save Rose the trouble of asking the store herself."

I couldn't help but laugh. I gave her several small kisses, careful not to hurt her still bruised face. She scooted away slowly and patted the bed beside her, motioning for me to lie down with her. I carefully moved down and wrapped my arms around her waist, rubbing my chin on her shoulder and smelling her delicious scent.

I closed my eyes and savored this moment with her.

Now, if I could only find out who the fuck was responsible for her accident, everything would be much better.

* * *

**Okay, time to press that review button. ;)**

**I also entered an anonymous contest. If you want to check it out, the link is in my profile. Voting is open sometime next week.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

A big **thank you** to my beta**Thaigher lillie! **Without her, I wouldn't have a chapter to post. Most of what is written in this chapter is her idea (I only own 1/3 of this), and she even wrote some of it. -that's why I heart her! =)

Much love to**Skyebella98 **and **Joesmomma **for helping put this chap. into shape. Thank you ladies! muahz!

Sorry for the long wait. So here it is, enjoy guys! =)

xxxxxxxxxx

**Terms:**

**Capo: **a minor leader within a Mafia family, chief of a crew. Also referred to as a captain, skipper or lieutenant.

**Omertá: **The code of silence you have to swear when you join the Family.

**Rat:** A member who violates the Omertá.

* * *

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**BPOV**

I woke up to the feeling of something hard poking against my backside. The grogginess didn't leave me, so I tried to go back to sleep, but the warmth surrounding my body didn't allow me to return to dreamland. I tried to shift, but the arm around my waist tightened, preventing any further attempts on my part to sit up. I felt Edward's warm breath on my neck and immediately knew what was poking me from behind. He rubbed himself against me and moaned softly. I stiffened knowing he must have been dreaming about sex.

The hand he had resting on my stomach was making small circles on the skin under my shirt, causing me to tingle all over. I didn't need to deal with this now. We hadn't been intimate since the accident, but not the lack of trying on my part. Edward said he wasn't convinced I was well enough for that yet. I knew he was sexually frustrated, but he wouldn't allow me to give him a blowjob or hand job either. He was so overly cautious; insisting that we didn't need to cause possible complications to my ribs, even if that activity could be considered minor. I had insisted I was healing fine, but he was still worried about me. My ribs still had another two weeks of recuperating to do, but I was feeling much better compared to the week before.

Edward continued to rub his erection on my ass, eliciting small moans as he did. I was getting extremely worked up; however, the sad part about all this was we couldn't do anything about it. Well technically we could, but he chose not to. I slowly lifted his arm from my waist and slowly raised myself from the bed. Judging from the silence of the surroundings, I knew it was still early morning. When I moved, so did he. Edward was now lying on his back, his arms splayed wide across the bed, and he was now sporting an enormous morning wood. He was still dead to the world. He was still moaning as he slid his hand down his boxers and grasped his shaft. This motion made him moan even more, and watching him do all this while sleeping was wildly erotic. _This sex dream he was having better be about me. _I quickly decided to help him get off. This was my chance to play with him since he was asleep. He wouldn't be able to protest and give me shit if he wasn't conscious to know what was actually happening. I wanted to do this for a week now but he kept on insisting that he was fine. He said he wanted to wait for when I was given the okay and ready for rigorous activities.

I moved to the middle of the bed and directly between his legs. This position left me sitting on my ankles, and I tried to make myself comfortable for what I was about to do. It was a good thing I wasn't wearing the sling on my arm anymore, or this would have been difficult. The boxers were doing nothing to hide his arousal. His hand was still rubbing his cock, so I waited until his hand freed his raging erection to pull his boxers down his thighs without the possibility of waking him up.

The boxers were quickly disposed, and I wasted no time in grabbing his massive erection. I used the pre-cum pooling at the tip for lubrication and started to rub him from the base to tip over and over again, adding a little squeeze in between the tugging. Edward involuntarily bucked his hips as if asking for more friction. I couldn't help the smile that escaped my lips. _He was loving this!_

As I sped up my movement, his moans got louder. His hands were now gripping the sheets, his lips slightly open in ecstasy. I couldn't help the fact that I was getting extremely turned-on by all this. I could feel my own arousal peak, and my panties were now soaked. I wish I could bend over to take him in my mouth, but I knew that it wasn't possible. _Yeah, Edward was right._ I was in no condition for the activities I desired. This would have been easier if he was standing up while I gave him head.

I lifted his balls and held them against his penis, and massaged them both rigorously in circles. I squeezed and pulled at the sensitive skin, while my wrist worked to bring him to his pleasure.

"Shit," he hissed loudly. I panicked and peeked at him to check whether he was awake or not. Fortunately, he was still asleep. I sighed in relief. "Ungh." It was obvious he was enjoying this. The pre-cum continued leaking from the tip, and I knew he was nearing his orgasm. His body began to tremble as a small, light sheen of sweat laced his body.

"Bella…," he whispered. It's a damn good thing he said my name or else it would've been his balls. His mouth parted slightly and his brow furrowed as he began to pant in small short, quick breaths. His hips were slightly bucking and grinding as I continued to run my hand rhythmically down his length. I was enjoying watching his reactions. He reminded me of a teenage boy getting his first hand job.

He wasn't holding anything back, completely losing control, and I was thrilled to watch him do it. His stomach muscles tightened and his face contorted, as he began whimpering like a wounded dog. My body shook slightly with laughter. I tightened my lips stifling the laugh, trying my best not to wake him. His head began to move from side to side, moaning. He let out a low "fuck" and stiffened. His pelvis had thrust up as he shot a motherfucking load of cum in the air. I leaned back as quick as I could to avoid it. I pressed his penis upward as he emptied his balls all over his stomach and my hand. I sighed in relief that none of it got on my chest or hair. I drew out his orgasm by rubbing his penis and balls until he was limp.

As I slowly made my attempt to get off the bed, his hand snaked around my wrist and he hissed, "What the hell was that?"

I stiffened. He was awake and aware of what just happened. I knew he would be angry about this. _Damn, he should be thanking me for getting him off, not getting angry with me_. His hold didn't loosen as he sat up. He was naked as the day he was born; his massive limp cock exposed.

I fluttered my eye flirtatiously and pouted my lips. I didn't want to argue this early in the morning. He slowly scooted backwards, pulling me with him. When his back was leaning on the headboard, he pulled me up to straddle him. All the cum still on his stomach and my hand.

"Fuck, babygirl, you're so damn stubborn!" he hissed. "I told you not to do that. You could've gotten hurt! Shit!" He made a quick inspection of my ribs and arms. He sighed in relief; satisfied I was unharmed.

"You fucking sure you didn't get hurt by jerking me off?"

I nodded my head. He just stared at me for a moment before pulling me for a long deep kiss. I wanted to get closer to him, so I wiped my hands on the covers and snaked my hands around his neck. I returned his ardent kisses like there was no tomorrow. The non-sex these past 2 weeks were more frustrating than the 3 whole years I was celibate.

We made-out and only separated when there was the need for air. Eventually, Edward stopped us from going further. "Baby, we have to stop now." I pouted, pissed that he cock-blocked me, yet again. Its not like we would be having sex, but some kind of friction wouldn't hurt me.

He rested his forehead on mine and I sighed. I knew he was right, but I was just so horny. He looked relieved that I relented on his request. This was what I meant by his refusal to gratify both of us. I was giving him a frown, showing him how displeased I was with his request. He arched his brow in question and I answered it with one of mine.

Suddenly, I felt his hand slide down the front of my shorts. I gasped in surprise. Was he doing what I think he was doing? _Please God! _His fingers slowly pushed aside the fabric of both the shorts and panties as he slowly touched my lower lips with his middle finger.

"You're wet," he murmured against my chest. He was grinning, and I wanted to slap the smile right off his face. As if he needed confirmation of my arousal. He always knew I was hot for him.

He removed his finger only to slide his hands to the top of my shorts and panties and began tugging them down my hips. I realized what he was doing and helped him by standing up to completely remove the last scrap of clothing separating us. Although, the only penetration being done this morning would be by his fingers, that I was sure of. I was happy to be getting even just that.

I returned to my position on top of him, and he wasted no time to start fucking me with his fingers. In, out…in, out… over and over again. Fingers curling, he brought me over the edge. I was spent, and my juices were slowly dripping down his now hardened cock all the way down to his balls. The room reeked of sex and it was not helping with our situation. Although I felt much better from his magical fingers, they were still nothing compared to his cock.

I stared at him and he smiled. "Good?" he asked with a smirk on his lips.

"Yeah, but I still prefer this…" holding his shaft in my hand "…over your fingers. I can't wait for you to be inside me again." I whispered in his ear. He hissed and pulled my head down for another kiss. We continued kissing for a couple of minutes before we sat there just staring at each other and giving loving touches.

I inspected his left eye and ran my hand over the yellowing bruise, which I had inflicted over a week ago on the morning after our reunion. After I got over the initial shock of his return, and drawing comfort from his warm embrace, I was furious when I woke up. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the fist of my good hand shortly before it hit his eye. It fucking hurt like hell, but it was worth it. He was an ass for not coming back to me, and I needed to make sure he knew it. Edward, however, brushed it off. I think he must have felt a little guilty, so he didn't give me shit about giving him a black eye.

We were still in Seattle and had celebrated Thanksgiving with Emmett and Rose a couple of days ago. The animosity between my brother and Edward continued to escalate. Emmett was still so fucking pissed at Edward, who was not also making it easy for my brother to forgive him by being his usual cocky self. Edward wasn't keen on Emmett's quick dismissal of Jake as the person responsible for the accident. That was just another reason for the tension between the two of them to build. Emmett was a loyal friend and couldn't believe Jake would do anything to hurt me. I made them both promise to behave themselves so we could have a nice Thanksgiving together, but the tension had been thick in the air. They both refused to speak to each other, so Rose and I tried to fill the silence, but it was hard when there were only four of you at the table.

Edward was determined to find out who was responsible for the car accident that he didn't want to go home knowing there was no progress in figuring out who did this to me. He was furious that it was taking so long to get information during the interrogation of Jacob's employees. They finally got a little break a couple of days ago. One of Jake's mechanics went missing.

Sam and Paul were looking for this guy, Joe, who conveniently went missing right after my accident, making everyone suspicious of him. Last we knew, both of them thought they figured out where he was hiding out, but we had to wait for confirmation.

It was upsetting that I was having difficulty remembering the details of the accident. It was frustrating knowing that something happened to me and I couldn't remember all of it. The bruises and cuts were evidence, but the memories were scattered in my brain like little pieces of a jigsaw puzzle for me to put together in order for it all to make sense.

Alice had returned to Chicago to celebrate Thanksgiving with Jasper. They had called the night before to inform us that business there was slow, so there was no need for Edward to come home right away.

I sat on Edward's lap as he nuzzled my neck. I could feel Edward's erection against my thigh, making me want nothing more than to take him deep inside me. He held my hips still in an effort to keep from hurting me. I insisted that the pain was more bearable now than it had been a week before, but he didn't care.

We finally got up to take a shower together, taking our time to gently lather and rinse each other's body. When we were getting dressed, he pursued a topic I had been trying to avoid for days.

"Baby, so have you given any thought to my suggestion?" he asked tentatively. I looked at him frowning. His eyes were pleading with me, and I couldn't remain irritated at him while he was making that face.

"Okay," I responded but cut him off when he started to get excited. "But you have to promise me you'll use it only when it's really important." The grin that had spread across his face quickly faded.

"But"-he started to say but abruptly stopped when he saw my scowl. I arched my brow in challenge and he immediately knew he wouldn't win this argument.

"Mase, I know you," I stated. "You would make an excuse to use it anytime you couldn't find me…however small that excuse will be…you would still use it. So you better promise me, or else I won't do it!"

"Fuck!" he roared. "You couldn't possibly expect me not to!" His reasoning was what caused me to hesitate in the first place. I knew him well, so I knew there was a high possibility of this happening. He pulled me to him, but I brushed his hand off me.

The frown on my forehead deepened and he saw it. He scratched his head before finally agreeing. "Goddammit babygirl, you're making me promise things I would have a hard time keeping!"

I just stood there further making my point by crossing my arms across my chest. "Take it or leave it." He saw the determination in my eyes and finally relented.

"Okay, okay. But it is also within my discretion when, or if a situation calls for its use," he muttered.

Edward and the whole Cullen Family had implanted tracking devices within their bodies. Since he said I was a Cullen now, I was expected to allow them to put a stupid electronic device inside me as well. At first I was so disgusted that I wouldn't listen to anything past 'tracking device' but Edward was determined, so when he put his mind to something, he would most likely get what he wanted.

"Okay, we'll get it done when we get back to Chicago." I agreed. He already explained that there was a doctor there that did all of their implantations. I didn't know if it was legal or not, but was assured that it was safe and had no side effects. Edward got his when he was a teenager, and Jasper was the most recent one to get his. Nobody complained because it was a good way for them to find a missing family member should something happen.

He gave me his signature smile, and I sighed. This was the way it was between us. He always charmed me into going along with his plans. Lucky for me, I learned from the best because I did the same thing to him every time I got the opportunity. I slowly walked towards my dresser to fish out some skinny jeans and a blouse.

When we were dressed and ready for the day, we headed down to have our breakfast. I was glad Emmett left early because I wasn't looking forward to another pissing contest between the two of them. Rose had joined us midway through our meal, telling Edward she was going to take me on a shopping spree. However, neither of us took what she said seriously. She was swamped with work at the hotel getting ready for the holidays. She had informed me that we were already almost completely booked through the end of the year. I was happy she was building confidence by running SOH without me.

After breakfast, she left for the hotel while Edward and I planned on spending the entire day together. We decided to go to our shooting range, and then have a lunch date after.

We were just getting ready to leave for the range when there was a commotion downstairs. The noise was so loud we heard it all the way in my room. Someone knocked, and I knew immediately that something was horribly wrong.

Amun was standing there. "Bella, something happened. Come," he said to me before shifting his gaze over my shoulder to my husband. Edward always had this presence that made everyone around him wary of him.

Amun led us down the staircase to the back patio. From where we were standing we could see a couple of our men huddled over something sprawled out in the garden. I quickly made my way to them knowing what it was even before I reached it. I was about to push through my men when I felt Edward pull me back. His hold was strong and I had no choice but to allow him to go ahead of me. He pushed the men aside and stopped at the dead man's foot. Rigor mortis had already begun setting in; a clear indication that he had been dead for a couple of hours. Judging from his appearance, he was Hispanic and in his early thirties. I didn't recognize him, but had a sneaky feeling that we should. Upon closer inspection, I noticed his skin had a reddish tint to it. That was odd. How did that happen? The biggest shock of all was the note that was stuck to his chest with a knife.

Edward grabbed the bloody paper and read it. He growled in anger as he gripped it tight in his fist. I snatched it from him before he destroyed it. My anger escalated when I read the message.

_A warning. This could happen to you, Bella._

I could feel Edward's fury as he paced around yelling profanities. He was in his 'Big Boss' mode and had started barking orders at our people. Amun was beside us, since he was the head of security responsible at this mansion, updating me on what they knew so far. I saw Benjamin on the phone and heard him say Emmett's name so I was sure he was informing Em of what happened.

Benjamin was responsible for all the electronic gadgets we needed in our unit. He was an electronic whiz, and we were lucky to have him in our Family. Aside from manning the security cameras, my father had put him second in command to Amun. As far as I knew, Emmett hadn't changed that. Benjamin didn't look older than 20, but he was more adept in fighting than any older _capos_ I knew. He had been with us since he was ten years old.

Amun and Benjamin were the ones in charge of keeping our mansion safe from attack. The mansion wasn't penetrable. We had security cameras everywhere, so how was it possible no one saw who dumped this body here? It should have been caught on the cameras. This had to have been done by someone who knew the grounds. _Shit!_ That meant somebody amongst our trusted people had been ratting us out, or worse someone within our inner circle did this. I just hoped that nobody violated the Omertá.

Benjamin had returned and informed me that nothing had been caught on camera. There was no evidence in the videos of anything related to this body being here.

_Holy shit!_ That could only mean one thing. I had to check it out for myself.

I pushed past Benjamin and walked towards the big monkey tree to the northern part of the garden. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I thought it would explode. I had a sneaky feeling this was how the dead body was brought here without anybody noticing.

I walked over the secluded area of the garden where the tree was standing. I walked around it and found what I was looking for. There nestled next to a big trunk was a space big enough for a door to open. You would never find it if you didn't know it was there. Under all the Jasmine vines covering the entire wall was a concealed door. I had used it many times during my teenage years. I squeezed my way between the tree and the door and saw evidence showing it had been used recently. The clearing on the floor said as much. There should have been leaves covering the area, but they had all been brushed out of the way. I stepped back to inform Amun what I had discovered. Just when I squeezed my way out again, I heard somebody yell. Edward.

"Bella, fuck, get away from there!" he shouted, just as he reached out and pulled me close to him. "You shouldn't be over there!"

"Mase, this is our house so I'm familiar with this area," I informed him irritatingly. He was being the usual Caveward again. Everything was happening so fast that there was little time to process it all. I knew he was concerned for my well-being, especially now there was an obvious threat. _Dammit, we have yet to figure out who was responsible for my accident._

Just as I was thinking about everything that had happened, something clicked. There were only four people who knew about this entrance and one of them was dead, which meant there are only three left.

_Why didn't you just die? You should have been dead, you bitch! Why didn't you just have been smashed together with that fucking car? I hate you! _

I remembered and my heart leaped from my chest. _Oh my god!_

Edward saw me stiffened, and he walked over to me. I grabbed his hand because we needed to leave immediately.

"Bella," he asked, his face showing concern. "What the fuck is it?"

"Mase, I know who did this."

* * *

A/N:

The idea of the 'tracking device' was from a TV show I had seen. But for the life of me, I can't remember what's the name of that show. :(

To **missemmett**, I borrowed your idea on that shooting range - though it was short (two words to be exact) but I just wanted to tell you you were the one I was thinking when I wrote that. =D

*I disabled the anonymous messaging so you wouldn't be able to review without signing in. I disabled it for a reason. I wanted to know who gave the reviews (good or bad), because some readers take the anonymous messaging/reviewing as a way to cowardly give bad comments - (hiding spinelessly at the back of the anonymity it gave them). Sorry to my readers who usually give me good reviews anonymously. I appreciate it all. ;) You can still give me your thoughts though by signing in (PM me if you want). =)

Ok, you know the drill peeps. Review pls! :)

I have a FB account now. I'll be posting my teasers there, so friend request me and I'll add you there (**Verucasin Fanfiction**). I also have twitter (**veeblanc**).


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

Thank you to**Thaigher lillie **for the ideas as well as some words for this chapter. Much love to**Skyebella98 **for helping put this chap. into shape. Thank you ladies! muahz!

**WARNING: This chapter contain torture. Please don't proceed if you are sensitive about this topic.**

Sorry for the long wait. So here it is, enjoy guys! =)

xxxxxxxxxx

**Terms:**

**Borgata:** Family. The basic structural unit of the Mafia society.

**Hit:** An assigned murder

**Snitch: **Traitor to the underworld

* * *

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**BPOV**

Finding a dead body in our garden had to be the biggest contributor to the memories I had flooding into my mind. I could remember most of what had happened during and after the accident. The most significant of it all was the incident in the hospital while I was slipping in and out of consciousness. Nobody other than me knew what had been said there; however, the very familiar voice and harsh words came crashing to me like tidal waves.

_'Why didn't you just die? You should have been dead, you bitch! Why couldn't you just have been crushed with that fucking car? I hate you!'_

It was not a hallucination; someone had actually said those words to me. The medications that had been coursing through me weren't strong enough to conjure an image of her hovering over me on my bed, whispering those vile words. If I would've hallucinated someone's voice or presence, I'm sure it would have been Edward or Rose or even Emmett, but definitely not her. I didn't think about her enough for her to be in my subconscious. I had plenty of reasons to believe now that Leah was responsible for my car wreck. I'm quite positive, the dead body lying stiff and decomposing in our garden was also her handy work.

Realization hit me just as I had stepped away from my hidden door. Leah was one of the four people that knew about where the door was. I had learned about the door unintentionally from my father. He had been talking to Emmett about something and mentioned a door that was nestled under the thick vines of our wall. It peaked my curiosity so I went and looked for it myself as soon as I had the chance. Just like he said, it was there, concealed, but ready for my use.

Leah had only been privy to that information because I thought at that time, that I had no other choice. I needed to sneak out of our house to attend another one of those wild parties I was planning to attend. Unfortunately for me, she was there that night because of a sleep over or something arranged by my father. She found out what I had planned and coerced me into bringing her. It was the only reason why she knew of the secret door and I never fathomed she would betray us this way. Our families had been friends for a very long time and that alone should have been sufficient. Now, I doubt if she ever was a friend to us.

Hours had passed since I found out that a person I had considered a friend tried to kill me, which was still difficult to accept. If I hadn't heard her say she wished I would die, I wouldn't have believed it myself. I would never have suspected Leah was capable of doing all of this.

Had I known that our family was in the mob, I would never have told anybody about that door, not even Leah. It was my fault this was happening; I was the only one to blame.

In the hours since we left the mansion, I told Edward everything I knew so he understood what was happening. His profile as he drove my Mercedes was notably calm, but knowing him, he was anything but calm. We were making our way to the secluded area called 'the cave', where the most important business transactions were made.

Sam and Paul tracked Leah down within an hour after I had told them of my revelations and they were bringing her to the cave. I was wary of Jake's involvement and knowing he was already at the top of Edward's list made me even more agitated than I already was. I didn't know if they brought Jake in as well, since Edward hadn't mentioned it. I hoped for Jake's sake that he wasn't there. I knew anything that concerned Jacob and me would send Edward into a rage. God help him if he was in anyway involved with my accident, because no one would be able to contain Edward's fury.

Edward was unusually quiet. I snuck a peek at him and his expression was still unreadable. He was concentrating on the road, but he was gritting his teeth so hard I knew it was the calm before the storm. His anger on Leah escalated when I told him what I remembered from the hospital. In his own words- "She was lucky she wasn't stupid enough to have touched you then or her death would be much worse than it is already going to be!"

I had a feeling that maybe Edward was right to be cautious around Jacob. He was in fact the _Big boss _of the Cullen _Borgata_, so incidents like this were not something to be ignored. His insights and decisions were part of what made the Cullen Family one of the most impenetrable units. If only Emmett would learn more from Edward.

I studied Edward as he maneuvered the car easily through traffic. His frown was pronounced and I wanted to reach out and touch his face, possibly try to calm him down a little. Before I reached out to him, he turned his gaze to me and smiled softly. He took my left hand and intertwined his fingers with mine before raising my hand for a kiss.

I immediately relaxed as I watched him. He was often the cause of my anger or frustration but he was also the one who could soothe and calm my jumbled nerves. We may have been back together a short time but his presence had already made a huge difference in my demeanor. He was my rock and I knew he always would be.

When we were a few minutes away from 'the cave', Rose called me to let me know she was on her way and I wondered if she was actually already there waiting for us. Rose was a force to be reckoned with when it came to my protection. We were family. There was nothing she wouldn't do for me and that included taking out anyone who posed a threat to me. I almost felt sorry for Leah. She had two of the most lethal people in the mafia after her head and there was no chance she would be walking out of this alive.

Neither Edward nor Rose would allow it.

We left our mansion three hours ago and stopped by to see Emmett in his office right before heading to 'the cave'. He. Was. Livid. Aside from the information I gave him on Leah, he was also furious about the body that had been deposited in our garden. We had discovered that the identity of the body was _Joe_, the man we had been looking for because of his involvement in my car crash. Amun and Benjamin were left to increase security at the mansion because it had been breached. Emmett must have forgotten about the door or he was just stupid enough to leave it unmonitored. This was something I would be discussing with my brother once this entire debacle had been dealt with.

Sam called earlier to discuss something with Edward. It was Emmett's decision to direct all security information to Edward. I didn't know if I should be upset about that or not, but I was not happy when I found out. I felt like I should be informed too, but I tried not to let it get to me. I would remember to discuss this with Edward after we dealt with Leah.

_What the fuck should I do with her? _I knew if it was up to Edward, Leah would die the moment we stepped inside the building. But she was a friend once, or was she? Maybe I was still naïve. I was completely unprepared for this kind of situation. I was used to loyalty in the Mafia; I never had to deal with deception before. I wasn't aware of my father or Emmett ever having to order a hit on a friend; or maybe it was kept a secret from me like so many other things.

My plan on dealing with Leah was nonexistent. She had been a friend for so long, but I couldn't let her get away with this. I needed to see her face and let her explain herself. Maybe then I could understand her hatred for me. It didn't mean I wasn't angry at her, I was livid for God's sake, but I felt an explanation was warranted. I would demand that of her if it was the last thing I would do.

In the mafia, women were held with high regards and usually weren't _touched_. However, when they weren't innocent then that was another thing. Leah was the culprit here and she had already gotten away with too much. However, I would make sure she paid for this – with her life no less. _Tit for tat, bitch!_

I scowled at nothing in particular as I thought of all she had done to me. _How dare she? How dare she think she had the right to play with my life?_ She almost took me away from Edward and that alone signed her death warrant. My anger escalated so fast that I was unaware of how hard I was gripping Edward's hand until he groaned out loud.

"Sorry, babe," I said apologetically and loosened my grip on him, but he didn't allow me to release his hand. He just gave me a smile and tugged my hand, as he changed gears.

The silence in the car was soon broken when he turned his head to face me, his expression reassuring but determined.

"Bella," he started. "I'm going to take care of this," he said, as I shook my head at him. He knew better than to supersede my decision, especially since I was the one who was the target. I couldn't, and wouldn't, allow him to take that right from me. There was too much at stake for me to just let him do that. I sighed heavily thinking about everything that had happened. I was confused, but knew I had to fight my own battles. My father and brother had been doing it for as long as I knew, and I just went with it with no questions asked. Now that I was married, I didn't want my husband to do the same. I wanted him to have faith in me to do what I knew was best for myself – him included.

"No, Edward, we'll both take care of this. You have to trust me." I told him, holding his gaze. He didn't respond and looked ahead onto the road. I would do this my way… whether he agreed or not.

"You can't do anything to Jake until we know he's involved," I informed him. He and my brother weren't on the same page about Jacob, and it wouldn't help their already strained relationship if Edward pushed this issue now.

He didn't respond but he snorted. It was his way of saying 'dream on'. _He was so goddamn stubborn!_ I decided not to push the issue though, because if I were in his shoes and I thought somebody wanted to hurt my husband, I would definitely hold nothing back in ensuring that person would suffer. I kind of understood where he was coming from.

After giving a couple more directions towards the _cave_, we reached the small building without much glitch. I was sure he had different plots in his mind on how he would make Leah and Jacob suffer, but this was my battle and I would fight it as I saw fit.

Just as we got out of the car, two black SUVs screeched to a halt just a couple of feet away from my car. Our men, who looked menacing, synchronically stepped out of the big cars. I guessed this whole scene looked like something in a movie where a group was getting ready to go to battle. It was a good thing we were in a private property owned by my family, or the neighbors would surely be suspicious of all the guns carried around by our men. We'd all be in jail in no time.

Suddenly, a loud screech was heard and you could instantly smell the burn of the rubber from the tires. It was Rosalie's red ostentatious BMW. It was gorgeous and I was unbelievably jealous, not because of the car, but because she was alone. Unlike me, Rosalie didn't allow Emmett to bully her into bringing her own personal bodyguard. She insisted she could defend herself, but I had on good authority she had at least one person trailing her everywhere she went, as well as her car being bullet-proofed. If only I had it that easy.

Just like a seasoned model, she slid out of her car with grace and walked towards us confidently. She could have been a model for Victoria's Secret but instead chose to be in the mob. I never had that choice since I was born into this life. She however, did. I supposed Emmett and I had a lot to do with her choice to stay in this kind of life. Or maybe she just enjoyed every thing that came with it - the danger, the power, and not to mention the money.

She had on a scowl as she sexily made her way towards us. Now, I had another hotheaded person to deal with. I knew she was pissed, just like everybody else. _How could I handle an angry Edward and a pissed off Rose?_ I wished Em would arrive soon, but on the other hand, having my brother here would just be adding another angry person.

Facing Edward again, I tugged on his hand to get his attention. "Mase, I need you to trust me on this. Please let me handle this first." His brows furrowed then he ran his hand through his hair. I knew he was deliberating on what to do, but before I allowed him to make a decision, I bribed him. "I promise, I'll make it up to you!" He raised his brow, and I knew I got him. I thought all was okay, when he spun me around as I turned towards Rose.

"I'll give you time for this," he warned. "But if I don't like the outcome, I'll intercede." His voice was commanding, and I knew better than to fight with him when he was like this. At least he was giving me what I wanted – and that was to deal with Leah myself.

Rose and I walked forward to the entrance with Edward following close behind. My heart was hammering against my chest, from the sheer uncertainty of what was ahead. This was harder than dancing almost half naked in front of a room full of drunken men. In this business, there were only a few loyal friends who wouldn't snitch on you, or would try to kill you. This was a very good example of it. 

The building was an old abandoned warehouse, used solely for situations like this. It was cold and dark, and was left like that so it wouldn't attract attention. There was an underground room that looked like a cave, hence the name 'cave'. As we strode towards the main room, we could here someone whimpering. Once we stepped in fully, there, in the middle of the almost empty living room was a solitary couch. On the couch was Leah, gagged and bound. She stared at us as we entered, her eyes hard and angry. As I looked closer, I could see the fear that she was trying to hide through her anger. _Yes, bitch you should be scared._

Sam was stoically smoking behind the couch while Paul was sitting on the floor, polishing his gun on his lap. As we neared, Sam suddenly removed the cloth covering Leah's mouth. I assumed Edward was the one responsible for her being gagged.

While Leah was coughing, trying to catch her breath. I didn't know if it was from fear, or from the sheer lack of air but I didn't fucking care. I stood there and studied her.

Rose instructed our men to leave us alone with Leah. Edward must have told Mark and Seth to do the same, because when I surveyed the room, only the four of us were left. Leah was staring at me in particular with pure hatred on her face, which fueled my anger towards her.

I marched towards Leah, and pulled her hair so I was staring in her eyes. She had stumbled forward when I grabbed her, and was now kneeling in front of me. "Why?" I hissed at her. "You're my fucking friend!"

"Well, you're not mine!" she retorted. She was heaving, and her nose was flaring. I couldn't understand the kind of fury she was in right now. I was the one she aggravated, not the other way around. I could've given her points for standing up to me, even though she was totally outnumbered and totally useless because she was bound.

"You fucking ruined my life!" she yelled, as she stared at me with wide eyes. Though I was expecting her fury, I was still shocked by the venom in her words.

"What did I ever fucking do to you, Leah?"

"You fucking stole Jacob from me, you bitch!" she hissed, and tried to spit on me. I was fast so her saliva didn't land anywhere near my skin. Instead, it had landed on the floor in front of her. I heard Edward growl, as she chuckled maliciously.

"You're really a slut, Bella! Teasing two guys at the same time. Good thing one married you, and it wasn't too obvious anymore!" Her smug smirk was irritating me so I slapped her hard. Her head flew to the side with the force of the blow as saliva flew from her mouth, landing a couple feet away from her. Her face was still turned and I could see the bruise forming from my assault. That wasn't enough for me, and I started to make another move to hit her. I had raised my hand again, when I suddenly remembered my injuries. I had forgotten I was still healing; it was a good thing I didn't exert too much effort that could have affected my ribs, but if I could, I would've done more. I was seeing red, and wasn't satisfied with just the slap. I clenched my hands at my side, as my fingers dug into my skin.

"You fucking bitch!" I yelled. "I. Am. Not. A. Slut!" I was heaving with anger now. "How dare you insinuate that?" I screamed.

She was still chuckling, which was aggravating me even more. If I had a gun on me, I would have already shot her. She was fucking taunting me. Maybe she wanted just that - an easy death.

I turned around, looking for a gun. I would give her what she wanted. But when my gaze landed on Edward, he was looking at me with an expression of concern as he smoked his cigarette. The way he held the cigarette told me he was seething but he was leaving this up to me. I decided then and there that Leah would have it too easy if I pulled the trigger of a gun to her head. I wanted her to suffer - that was to be her punishment.

"You're a whore!" Leah spat, as I turned my attention back to her. She moved, maybe looking for a comfortable position. "I really don't understand what you have that makes them want you! Maybe it's your goddamn fucking pussy!"

She was really grating on my nerves, and I had had enough. Her hatred was unwarranted. I never seduced Jacob, nor did I plan to take him away from her. Up until that day when I went to NYC for my wedding gown, I never had any inkling Jacob was interested in me romantically.

Her audacity to call me on something I never planned to do just make me want to smack her again. Maybe her stupidity would fly out the window this time. I fished out my phone and sent a message to Sam that I needed him back inside now.

When he came back, he did what I instructed him to do. He tied Leah on a chair that was at the far corner of the room; her ankles tied to the chair's legs, her arms were now tied securely on her thighs facing upwards. I made him do that purposely. Leah was shouting profanities as she tried to struggle to get free, which was a futile effort. Sam didn't leave, as per instruction from Rosalie.

Now that I had Leah where I wanted her, I went forward and bent in front of her. Her eyes were full of fear but she was one stubborn bitch. Didn't want to go down without a fight. Well, this will surely be interesting.

"You know, Leah," I started. I was touching the cross pendant that had been recently given to me by Edward. "This was your fault. All your fucking fault!" I detached the cross that concealed the small knife. "If you didn't have those crazy ideas, this wouldn't happen to you. And you would eventually have had Jacob," I explained to her, as I waved the knife in her face. The look on her face when she saw the knife was fucking priceless. It was a combination of shock, fear, anger, and panic. It was my turn to laugh.

"What the fuck is that for?" she stammered. She was sweating bullets, and her hair was now flattened on her forehead.

I leaned forward and with a flick of my hand, I made a huge gash on her wrist. She shouted and I did the same on her other hand.

"You fucking whore! I'm going to fucking kill you!" she ranted. Her eyes were wide with rage, and she was shaking herself so hard in her attempt to get away from me. Her head was moving in different directions, and her hair was flying in every direction.

"You deserve this, you bitch!" I hissed. I made several more cuts on her wrists, making sure to cut deeper every time. I planned to leave her alone and let her bleed to death.

"Oh no, no….damn you!" she shouted. "You're a stupid fucking cunt! A whore but just wrapped in all the trappings money can buy! I should have killed you when I had the chance!" She was panting, moving and making the chair creak because of her movements.

I was shaking from anger by now. This was what she wanted. I would fucking punch her. But before I was able to, I heard Rosalie.

"Enough, you shit!" Rose spoke with fierceness. She slowly marched towards us from where she stood beside Edward. Her beautiful face now sported a scowl. She grabbed the knife gently from me walked over towards Leah. "Why the hell did you rig the steering wheel of the car? Was this all because of that shithead Jacob?" Rose asked, as she picked up Leah's finger. I looked intently at Rose trying to figure out what she was going to do because the position she was holding the knife in confused me.

Leah started laughing maniacally as her eyes met Rose's. "Who else would it be for? Besides, why do you think I would answer all your fucking questions now?" she asked. Rose 'tsked' her and shook her head as she placed the blade slightly under Leah's pinky-nail and began to slice forward. I closed my eyes and turned my head as Leah's screams began to echo throughout the room. I could hear her as she moved sporadically, groaned, and cried when the soft tap of her pinky nail hitting the floor reached everyone's ears. When I opened my eyes and looked towards her, the wounds were bleeding profusely, and I knew she was feeling the pain.

"Leah, we already know you spearheaded this shit! Why keep mum about your ingenuity?" I told her, coaxing her to speak. She was stupid if she thought she was a genius, but I needed to lie in order for her to open up about what happened. It seemed even crazy people weren't immune to flattery, because she started talking.

"Of course, it wasn't me who did that." We knew she didn't have any knowledge of cars, so it was definitely _Joe_. I narrowed my eyes at her, and she shrugged. "You know what I mean. I was lucky that Joe liked me enough to do what I asked of the car."

"Why would he do that?" I asked, curious on how she convinced him.

She frowned, and suddenly had this expression on her face that said all I needed to know. She had slept with the man in exchange for his services. "So you fucking mean you fucking cheated on Jacob just so you can get back at me? That's fucked up, Leah! I don't even love him!"

"Well, he loves you enough to use me!" she yelled. She winced because of her injuries. She was becoming pale, but she didn't seem to remember her mangled wrists and hand now that her anger was peaking. "I couldn't wait until you decide to leave that bastard-" he nodded her head in Edward's direction "- and go with Jake!"

"I would never go with Jake and you know that, Leah," I told her in a very serious tone. I couldn't believe she still thought I had any romantic interest towards Jacob, even after all the times I told her Jacob loved her. If I weren't so angry at her, I would have laughed. This shit was funny. To think I was able to be celibate because I didn't want the complications, and now she believed I could get together with Jacob. _She didn't know me at all if she thinks that._

"What the hell did you do with that man? You dumped his dead body in our garden!" I screamed at her, thinking of the now stiff body of _Joe_.

She scoffed, as she wiggled her hands, trying to untie the ropes that held her hands together. "Joe was stupid. He was getting annoyed because I wasn't allowing him to touch me anymore," she said, without any emotion at all. I was wondering if Leah was sane, because she shifted from one emotion to another like a switch. "He was blackmailing me, and I couldn't allow him to continue doing that…so I gave him cyanide pills." Her wide smile gave me the chills. "That did the trick." She really looked liked a crazy person. She just might be. Her mind worked in a very different way from mine, and it left me baffled what she really was. She had been fucking with me all these years, and I didn't even know it.

"Where the hell did you get those?" I couldn't help ask her. She just shrugged at my question, unwilling to divulge that information. I needed to find that out, and told myself to investigate further about it.

"You're one crazy lady!" Rosalie sarcastically interjected, as she grabbed another finger. "But I guess, you know that by now…what with all the things that you did."

"Well, I have good reasons for everything," she said, her expression grim and frightened as Rose positioned the knife again. Her glassy eyes were reflecting pure hatred now. It was dark as she looked at me. "I wanted you dead, Bella!" she cried out. Rose dug the knife into her other finger, popping off the nail. Leah sobbed through the pain while she cursed insistently. When I thought she had no fight left, she turned to me with that crazy eyes and hissed, "You're a fucking nuisance to me!"

I was pacing the floor, trying to decide on what I should do next while Rose had her fun. Edward was just waiting for me, and I knew he was getting impatient. I raised my eyes from the floor I was staring at, and checked Edward out. He was still smoking, but I saw his gun peeking from his waist. I knew, somehow, he had touched it while I was talking to Leah.

"Fucking shit!" I heard Leah whine out and I smiled. She deserved this. Everything that happened today was her fault; I wouldn't allow myself to feel guilty. She was at fault, and nothing would excuse what she did. I looked back at the times she had confided in me. Stupidly, I had thought that she needed my help and my company, so I easily gave her comfort through words and reassurances. Now, I might have been blinded by the years we knew each other. She had just been using me, just like all the others and that hurt.

I was so busy with my internal musings that I didn't see Leah spit at Rose, but I definitely heard it. I turned around to see Rose's face flush and the faint traces of spit on her cheek. She wiped it quickly with the back of her hand and was stunned. _Goddammit!_ That was the last straw for me. I walked up to where Leah was sitting and kicked her in the stomach, and she toppled backwards onto the floor, the chair going down with her. She groaned, as I knew she would. The hard wood of the chair would have hit her back hard. She was so fucking disrespectful.

_Well, what do you expect from a person that wanted to kill you?_

Sam pushed her chair back into a sitting position and she was facing us again. She groaned but managed to curse at me again. "You…you ssl…slut!"

At this point, it didn't fucking matter if we knew each other anymore, or that I used to considered her a friend, because now she was just somebody who was a threat to me. Before Rose could react, I quickly grabbed the knife from her and re-attached it to the rest of the pendant. I needed to free my hands for what I was about to do.

I could hear the own thumping of my heart. She needed to be taught a lesson, because from the looks of it, she hadn't learned anything yet. I braced myself to hit her, but Edward was now beside me. I didn't know what he was doing until I saw his gun. He was pointing it between her eyes. Leah gasped out loud. She didn't expect that.

"You're pushing your fucking luck," he hissed. He looked so calm, but his loud unaffected voice was also scaring me. His stance was confident, and he looked so cool and collected, but I knew he was anything but. He was just good at hiding it. He still had a cigarette on his left hand, and he took a long drag before speaking, smoke blowing out of his lips as he said the words, "Don't you fucking disrespect my wife or my sister in law! You already did so many things that would ensure you'd be six feet under! I'm sure you don't want to add to the pain of getting there."

Leah was now blinking rapidly; her face was paler than a moment ago. She was clearly afraid, which made me happy.

"Oh, my god!" she pleaded. "Please!" I watched Leah's face, and my heart clenched. I was scared that he would pull the trigger. I wanted her to suffer, but I wasn't sure if I wanted her blood on Edward's hands. I touched his arm, and he lowered his gun. He knew it wasn't time just yet.

"Why, Leah?" I asked again. She already told me, but at the back of my mind, I still couldn't quite believe it. Maybe if she explained it again, I could find it in me to finally see that this was really happening.

She started to sob, and I allowed her to cry for a while, because for some reason I pitied her. She was out of her mind. Why else would she take us on? She might not have known the Swans were in the mob, but she should have been aware that we were still dangerous. The bodyguards in our house alone would've alerted her of that. _Stupid!_ I knew she was supposed to be put in a mental facility, but that couldn't happen anymore. She was a risk.

She stopped her sobbing, and when she was able to speak, she raised her eyes to me…snot was dripping from her nose and my stomach lurched. "I love Jacob so much! I...I thought…with you gone…I could get a better chance for him to love me back…like he does you."

"Oh, Leah," I said to her. "I don't love him that way…you know this!"

She snapped her head towards me. Her eyes enraged, even with all the tears that pooled there. Her shouts echoed through the empty room. Her hands were now red from all the blood oozing from her wounds, but she didn't seem to care. Her lips were now white. "And why the hell not? He's the best man around here." She nodded towards Edward, who was just beside me. "Or is he better in bed than Jake?" _She was officially out of her mind!_

"Maybe you're auctioning that fucking pussy of yours!" she yelled. "Godammit, why in the hell would they want you? You're just a fucking rich spoiled girl who doesn't have anything to offer but sucking their dicks!"

Rose stepped forward but I stopped her.

I took a long deep breath as I tried to control my raging anger, but she seemed to be on a roll.

"God, I fucking wished you died three years ago!" she raged. "You should've died in New York! You're overdose was the best thing that ever happened to you!"

That hit a nerve. I heard Edward curse and I groaned. Edward and I just got over that issue, and her mentioning it made me angrier than a while ago. "So that's how it is Leah? Those are your last words?" I asked. My vision was turning red. I was livid. I couldn't believe she said that!

I clenched my fist at my sides and any ties I had to Leah were severed. My decision was what she asked for, and I would give it to her. I wouldn't regret it. She fucking deserved everything she would be getting in the next hour.

I turned to Sam and whispered something to him. When I faced Edward and Rosalie, I told them my plans for her. They just nodded nonchalantly.

We left the room. I knew then, that he understood what it was I instructed. Edward had halted his steps to kiss me on the lips, as I sighed. We started to walk again when I heard the loud sound of Leah's wails. I closed my eyes, feeling empty. This was how it was supposed to happen. Edward ushered me out, Rosalie on our heels.

As we made our way back home, Sam called. "It's done, Bella. I'll make sure to dispose of the body properly."

I made a silent prayer for her.

* * *

Please press that review button and tell me what you think. I appreciate your every thought.

I promise not to make you wait this long for the next chapter.

**Merry Christmas to everybody! I hope you have a nice holiday with your loved ones!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

Thank you to**Thaigher lillie **and**Skyebella98 **for constantly having my back. They are my cheerleaders! *hugs and kisses*

**Enjoy!**

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**Terms**

**Swag:** stolen goods.

* * *

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

**BPOV**

Although Leah's disappearance was featured in the Seattle news, her body was never found. There were different kinds of speculations in regards to how she had vanished out of thin air, but nothing linked us to her. Being the boyfriend, Jacob was of course questioned at one point, and was lucky to have not been implicated in her disappearance. However, he suspected we had something to do with it and confronted Emmett about it. Unfortunately for him, Emmett didn't like to be interrogated about things like that and became so furious with his childhood friend. It was a good thing, however, that Emmett still thought so much of their friendship or else Jacob would have experienced the same fate as Leah.

The 'Leah incident' allowed Emmett to make some changes in the security of the mansion. He had assigned Benjamin to increase surveillance of the house, including that of the secret door.

Rose updated me on all the happenings in Seattle by phone. A couple of days after that incident in 'the cave', Edward and I flew back to Chicago. He had to fly to Boston afterwards because there were some difficulties regarding a particular swag Eleazar was having problems disposing of.

My husband had to make sure I was safely in his territory before he left me alone. He wasn't confident leaving me in Seattle after the body was found on our grounds. Relenting was easier because I was tired of always arguing with him. Besides, I knew we would end up doing what he wanted to do anyway. Plus, I needed a change of scenery after all that happened in Seattle.

Edward had extended his stay in Boston from two days to almost a week. Seth was left behind to guard me, but the most annoying thing was Edward had also instructed Victoria to stay behind and do the same. _That prick!_ When I called him up to argue about the irritating woman, he just laughed out loud. He insisted he was less to worry knowing his best people were guarding me. The only thing preventing me from kicking Victoria's ass was the promise I made him that I would not cause any trouble whatsoever. Not that she was doing anything wrong, but I was just annoyed by her, her whole appearance and her weird friendship with Edward was pissing me off in a way.

During Edward's absence, I had engaged myself in work-related activities in his hotel. I was still out late one night helping Angela on some events she had planned for the holiday's festivities sponsored by the hotel. We were walking through the lobby when a man blocked my path. He looked so familiar but I was having difficulty placing where I saw him. The way he talked and leered made me remember he was Mike Newton, the disgruntled guest a few weeks before. _Fucking shit!_

When he touched my arm, I heard Angela gasp. The first incident with Mike was luckily unreported to Edward because it was Angela who would have received the brunt of his wrath. This fucking asshole Mike may have a death wish because he was at it again. His face was inches away from mine, and if he moved a little closer he would be able to kiss me. I was contemplating hitting him myself when Victoria stepped in and pulled him away from me. The shock on his face was evident, but he quickly masked it away and didn't heed to the warning; the obvious anger reflected through Victoria's eyes.

"Well, well, well…." he said, flirtatiously. There was no doubt Victoria was a beautiful woman, and Mike didn't pass up the chance to make a pass at her. "I will really enjoy you two sandwiching me….sucking my cock!"

He had started to lean forward and reach for her, but Victoria grabbed his hand and twisted his fingers. His cry of pain resonated throughout the lobby, so some of the patrons started to look our way. The wicked grin on Victoria's face was an indication she loved every minute of it.

"You fucking asshole! You don't know who you're messing with!" she hissed. His eyes widened, and I saw the fear flash through them.

"I'm…I'm sorry…" he stuttered. The more he begged, however, the more Victoria tightened her grip on his hand, bending it backwards. I was afraid she would break his hand. Not that he didn't deserve it, but we couldn't attract more attention than we already were. I was about to reach out to Victoria when she turned her attention to me and asked if I was okay. Nodding in response, I smiled at her for the first time since I met her.

Satisfied that Mike had suffered enough, she released his hand. Once she did, Mike rubbed his hand and surprisingly went back to being his usual cocky self.

"You bitch! I'm going to fucking sue you! I'll subpoena all these people here!" he shouted. Angela, who was silently observing the whole situation, paled. "You'll fucking regret messing with me!"

Her lips pursed together, Victoria took a step forward and punched Mike in the face. He staggered backwards and fell to the floor. He was holding his nose as he grimaced in pain.

"Fucking, bitch!" he grunted. He released the hand he had covering his nose and saw he was bleeding. I nearly laughed out loud because he looked ready to faint from the small amount of blood. "You fucking broke my nose!" he shouted, wiping the blood with the back of his hand. A broken nose would entail a lot more blood than what was seen on him, so I knew he was exaggerating.

I wished Victoria did break his nose though. He was a major asshole and he fucking deserved it!

Without saying anything more, we left Mike sprawled on the floor still cursing under his breath. Victoria dragged me away, her hand on my arm as she ushered me to my office while Seth followed behind us.

"Good thing I only got his face," Victoria said smugly, as she referred to Mike. "His fucking balls were a better choice than his nose." I liked her more every minute. She gave me a smirk and I did the same.

"I would've loved to see you squash his fucking balls, Vicks," Seth added jovially. "Seeing that motherfucking asshole scream in pain was hilarious!" He chuckled as he fished a pack of cigarettes from his pockets. "You should've added that amazing kick of yours to that punch!"

"Well, Boss will definitely have my head if I disrupted the order of his hotel," Victoria responded nonchalantly. She was sitting on the arm of one of the chairs as she focused on Seth, who was playing with the pack of cigarettes in his hand.

Listening to them, I could guess that they were friends. Their easy banter was proof of that. I was so busy musing about their relationship that I wasn't aware she was staring at me intently.

"Besides, I think he plans to give this hotel to you," she said knowingly. That information came as a shock to me. It seemed she was closer to Edward than I expected because she was privy to some personal stuff. This irritated me.

Why in hell did she know Edward was giving me the hotel? I wasn't even informed about it! _Dammit, Edward was so fucking dead!_ He wasn't supposed to be discussing these things with her no matter how close they were. _I was his wife!_

_When he comes back I'm going to have a talk with him!_ I was pissed that he had left me with Victoria, but finding out he was talking to her about some important shit just made me even angrier with him!

Victoria's gaze lingered on my face then suddenly went lower. It was as if she was giving me the once over, making me uncomfortable. When her eyes returned to mine, it was dark with desire. I shook my head and tried to clear my thoughts. I must have been hallucinating things since I had been here all day long and was exhausted. _I think it's time for me to go home._

I stood up and she did the same. I hadn't realized that Seth had already gone outside and we were the only ones left inside the office. Victoria put her hand on my arm as she ushered me out the door, this time feeling her rub my skin. My mind wasn't making this up, so I turned and scowled at her, but she just laughed.

_Fucking shit! Don't tell me she's what I think she is._ I pulled my arm away and walked ahead. If she made another move like that, I would be forced to take her down. I didn't need a woman to feel me up!

Fortunately, no more incidents like that happened again the whole ride home. This was another thing I had to talk to Edward about. I was sure he knew whether Victoria was gay or not. It really didn't matter if she was, as long as she wouldn't try anything with me.

My arrival at the penthouse reminded me again of how much I missed Edward. His smell lingered in our room, and I wanted so much to pack up and fly to Boston tonight.

I had just laid down on our very big bed when my phone rang. Knowing it would be Edward calling, I scrambled to get it.

"Hey baby," I answered, breathless from the frantic search of my phone. My anger at him was forgotten. I wouldn't start a fight now. Definitely not when I was missing him so much.

"Hi, babygirl," he said. "I fucking miss you!"

"When are you coming home?" I asked petulantly. "I want you here!"

"I don't fucking know yet, babe," he replied sadly. "I'm doing everything I can to get home tomorrow. But if that doesn't work out, I'll be there the day after."

"Mase," I pleaded, pouting even though he couldn't see me. "Please."

"I'll be home soon, babygirl," he said softly. "Don't worry. I'll make it up to you when I get back. I promise." His voice was suddenly hoarse, and I couldn't help but miss him more. "Besides, you have that appointment with Clutterbuck tomorrow."

I groaned out loud in protest. The idea of having a chip inserted in me still bothered me, but I did promise so there was nothing more I could do about it. Clutterbuck was the doctor who would do the implant of the tracking device. "Are you sure he's a fucking doctor? The name alone is kind of weird, Mase."

He laughed that sexy laugh of his. "Babygirl, don't judge the man by his fucking name. He's one of the best. In fact, he did all of us, so you don't have to worry."

Dr. Clutterbuck was a plastic surgeon with a private practice in Chicago. Accordingly, he was the best in his field. I really didn't know how he started working with the Cullen's, but all I knew was he was good at keeping the implantation a secret, and for that he was well compensated.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

I just came from the doctor and now I had a small cut, about an inch on my left shoulder blade. The implants were done subcutaneously. The device was so small it looked like a grain of corn. It took only around half an hour for the procedure to be done. Dr. Clutterbuck looked as weird as his name was – crooked nose, big wide ears and a left eye that twitched. But he was soft-spoken and had a kind demeanor that made me immediately comfortable, convincing me that everything was looking good, and there was nothing to be worried about.

Alice was waiting for me when I came out of the clinic, sporting a wide grin.

"So now you're really one of us," she said chirpily. She had driven the Lambo and was handing me the keys. Her actions confused me as I just stared at her, my frown deepening. However, she grinned widely.

"Well Bella," she continued, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "You're about to do what we do after an implantation…in style." She nodded towards the sports car. "Edward just landed, and you'll have around a thirty minute head start. Don't waste it, he drives fast." I gasped, suddenly realizing what she meant. With a mischievous smile plastered on her face, she nodded in confirmation as she realized I understood what she meant.

"I can't come with you because they can track me down. And this car is the only one that doesn't have a tracking device built within it…yet." She frowned and literally pushed me forward. "You have to go, Bella. Edward will surely be pissed, but I just can't help taunt him when it comes to you." She opened the car for me and made a gesture with her hand for me to get in. "I made sure you have all the things you needed there. Now, go!"

My heart was thumping so loud from the excitement and the fear. I scurried from where I was standing and quickly slid inside the car. "Be safe!" Alice's voice was the last I heard before closing the door of the car.

_Dammit, where the fuck will I go?_ Deciding I didn't have time to plan ahead, I put the car into gear and gunned it. _Let's see if this implanted microchip really works._ Alice wanted to check whether the device was working or not by making Edward chase after me. It was risky, but it would be fun too. I doubted if Edward would agree with me on the latter.

I shrugged at the consequences. One thing I was sure of, Edward would be pissed at what Alice had planned.

I quickly made my way out of the downtown area and into places I wasn't familiar with anymore. I didn't know how long I was driving but I figured Edward knew about this by now. My phone started ringing insistently, but I didn't bother answering it because I was sure it was Edward. If he wanted me, he should come and find me.

He had told me he would be arriving tomorrow but instead his flight was today. Maybe he thought to surprise me but it seemed it was I who would be surprising him.

I maneuvered the car smoothly along the stretch of highway, not really caring where I was going. I wanted this not to be an easy chase for him. A competitive bitch - that was what I was. My phone hadn't stopped ringing, so I pumped up the volume of the music to drown out the ringing.

Hours had passed, and it was only when my stomach grumbled in hunger that I slowed down the car, suddenly realizing I was in the slum area of God knows where. People stared at my car as I slowly passed them. This was a very expensive car to have strolling around dilapidated houses and buildings. I needed to get out of here, but I didn't know where I was.

A couple of blocks away, I saw two teenage boys standing at a deserted street. It was already late afternoon so there were very few people roaming the street.

I slowed my car and stopped right in front of where the boys were sitting and rolled down my windows. They didn't make a move to come closer but only looked at me with curious eyes. They continued to stare as I contemplated on what to do next. Needing information, I decided to get out and get this over with. Before getting out of the car, I touched the cross to check whether the knife was still attached to it. Being in an unknown place with a very expensive car, I could easily be mugged.

Confident that I could do this without a hitch, I made my way towards the two young men. They looked young, but their skin was etched with tattoos. Boy number one was ogling me, and was staring at my legs as I walked. The other boy just stared at me while he smoked his cigarette.

Boy number one was a black boy, who grinned as he raised his eyes to me. He had a chipped front tooth that was quite conspicuous when he smiled. _Chippy_. I winked at him and started to talk.

"Hey boys," I purred, trying to seduce them. "Do you think you can help me?"

_Chippy_ just nodded as he continued to grin stupidly. The other boy just arched his brow in question. _Grouchy_.

"I need you guys to tell me what place this is," I told them. Licking my lips purposely to tease them. "I would pay you."

"Ah, miss…" _Chippy_ started but was nudged by the other one in the leg.

"What the hell, dude?" _Grouchy_ made a face that told _Chippy_ to shut the hell up before he turned to me. "How much?" he asked.

Pulling out the one hundred dollar bill I had tucked in earlier inside my skirt pocket, I showed it to them. _Grouchy_ snatched the money quickly and inserted it inside his boots. I waited while they smirked at each other. He was taking too long to answer. _What the fuck? _My hands on my hips, I tapped my foot as a sign I was getting impatient. _Chippy _was ogling me once again and I was pissed! I wouldn't allow them to screw me over. _Grouchy_ grinned smugly, thinking he had played me. _Fucking stupid kids._

I moved closer to him and leaned forward. With a flick of my wrist, I had detached the knife from the cross and was now pressing the sharp object to his neck. From the periphery of my eye, I saw _Chippy_ move towards me but was unable to do anything more because I had removed the gun I had concealed inside my skirt and was pointing it at him. I turned my face slightly towards him and saw he was now fucking pale. _Grouchy_, on the other hand, was already breathing heavy from fear. His eyes were wide as I pressed the knife harder into his neck.

"You're really stupid, aren't you?" I purred. "Thinking I was just a rich fucking bimbo because of my dress, and my car? BIG MISTAKE!"

Not lowering my gun, I raged against _Grouchy_. "So now, fucking tell me. Where am I?"

"You're in fucking Grand Boulevard, girl," _Chippy_ said, without pausing. Having heard of this place before, I knew I was definitely in one of the slum areas. Asking for directions out of this area was easier this time. I looked at _Grouchy_ in front of me and saw the smug look he had a while ago was gone as he looked really scared now. I smiled at his fear then slowly raised the knife a few inches from him. "Now, give me back the hundred bucks."

When he handed back the bill, I took a couple of steps backward and ripped the money into pieces. Their eyes widened in shock. I grinned at their stupid expressions then turned around to leave. As I made my way back to my car, I noticed a few more people - most of them men - had appeared out of nowhere during my 'conversation' with the two punks. The men were slowly making their way towards us, so I strode towards my car confidently as if their presence weren't affecting me. Edward would be fucking angry if he knew about this. I slid inside my car and quickly gunned it. I hoped Edward hadn't located my position just yet because I didn't need for him to know I was here.

As quickly as I could, I exited the neighborhood and was on my way again to where my driving brought me. At one point I had to slow down to be able to see the name of the sign, _Dolton._ I was now in the southern part of the city limits of Chicago.

It was hours since my last meal, and I was now famished. I needed to get food as soon as I could, or else I wouldn't be able to function well.

I had been driving for another half an hour when I saw a McDonalds and decided to quickly grab a bite. It took me almost half an hour to pay and eat my 'Big Mac', the whole time my heart was hammering loudly in my chest, expecting Edward to pop his head inside anytime soon.

Just as I was pulling out of the parking lot onto the busy street, I saw a glimpse of a black car that resembled that of Edward's. _Dammit_! It had to be him since you did not often see that kind of car as it was so damn expensive.

The black Bugatti was still a couple of cars away, but it was quickly passing cars trying to get near. I needed to get this fucking car moving…now!

Another half hour passed this way with my Lamborghini trying to get away from the black Bugatti, which I was sure Edward was driving.

The destination was of no concern to me. I needed to put as much distance away from him as long as I could. I zoomed past every car and turned at every corner I could. I needed to lose Edward. There was no doubt by now he was fucking livid. At the beginning I was just playing, but as the minutes passed that he wasn't able to catch me, my heart sped up another notch. How was I supposed to know he couldn't get to me as fast as I thought he could?

But my luck ran out when I turned into a corner and into a long narrow side street that led my car into a corner; it was a dead end. Checking my rearview mirror, I saw the Bugatti coming nearer, so I quickly turned off the ignition and ran out.

I surveyed the area frantically and saw an old building. Upon entrance, I realized it was an old abandoned church. As I scanned the dark hall, all I saw were some old podiums set at one side with some broken chairs and tables. I jumped when I heard a loud screeching halt of a car. _Shit, Edward was outside!_ I ran like the coward that I was and tried to look for a place to hide.

"Isabella!" His voice rang through the empty hall. It was hoarse and menacing, and suddenly I was scared. Seeing a curtain just a couple of feet to my right, I quickly made my way to get to it. I was about to hide my body when I heard a hiss. Shit! Edward saw me. Not looking to confirm he was there, I ran again, heaving heavily.

"Goddammit Bella, fucking stop running!"

I couldn't stop because I was panicking. I never heard Edward that angry with me before. A ladder was perched on one side, so I ran to climb it. I had only taken a few steps up when I felt the ladder shaking. I chanced a look downwards and saw he was looking at me with a scowl. I heard him as he slammed his hand on the ladder, before turning around and finding something to pound on the ladder. "Goddammit, Mase! What the hell are you doing?" I shouted incredulously. I couldn't believe he was trying to let me fall off the ladder. He didn't seem to notice my furiousness at what he was doing because he didn't stop his pounding.

There was nothing else I could do but hold on tight as the ladder fell down. My heart was hammering, anticipating the pain the fall would make. Not wanting to see what would happen, I just closed my eyes and held my breath as I felt the wooden ladder slide downwards. It wasn't fast but it wasn't slow either. I gasped out loud in surprise as the cold hard floor I had anticipated hitting never did come, but instead, warm strong arms engulfed me. Opening my eyes to his angry ones, I felt guilty. His face was red and his green orbs were dark with anger as he pursed his lips.

"M...Mase?" I stammered. There was only a few times I seen him this angry, and it scared me. I was holding tightly onto his shirt, never letting go as he continued to walk to wherever he was taking me.

"Bella, you should fucking know better!" he growled, "You made me chase you all night. It wasn't fucking funny!" I knew his concern for me was the reason he was so furious. I should've stopped an hour ago, but I was having fun taunting him.

I heard him kick a chair as he deposited me unceremoniously on a dirty couch I never noticed was there.

"Shit, Mase," I started, as I tried to stand up, but the moment I looked at him, I almost fainted from the lust and anger reflecting back from his eyes. He was starting to unbutton his shirt. "You scared me there, Bella. This was not a game I wanted to participate in," he muttered hoarsely, as he unbuckled his belt. My breath hitched as I moved my gaze to his crotch. "You were dead wrong when you thought you could fuck with me!" His voice held all his anger. "Now, you're going to make it up to me by fucking me. Literally!"

He pulled me up from where I was lying and pushed my face down on the table near us. He raised my skirt up my waist and ripped my panties.

"You won't do that shit again, babygirl. Don't ever fucking play that game again!" he hissed, as I felt him rub my pussy roughly. Contented that I was wet enough, he aligned his cock then pushed inside me forcefully. We both moaned from the intensity of being finally joined together.

"Tell me you won't fucking hide from me again," he muttered angrily as he slammed into me violently. "Tell me!"

"Yes! I'm sorry…oh...oh...I won't do it again," I answered, having difficulty concentrating on anything else but his cock sliding in and out of me.

"Good," he whispered in my ear before he licked the skin there. His hand was still holding my head flat on the table, while he continued his frenzied thrusting.

He fucked me several times more, his anger diminishing a notch each time he came inside me.

* * *

**Review please. =)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

Thank you to ******Skyebella98** for all the help. ;)

This is for you, **deesirius**. You will know why after reading this chapter. Lol!

Ok, get to reading peeps. Enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

**EPOV**

"Just like that…."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, baby….oh…"

"Am I hitting your sweet spot, babygirl?" I asked as I languidly pushed and pulled inside her sopping core, rotating my hips in between, knowing she liked that. Her eyes were fluttering shut, her lower lip between her teeth, a clear indication she was enjoying the sensation of my slow rhythmic thrusts.

"That's it, Mase….just like that…" Her moan was so fucking sexy I almost lost my shit.

Even though I had already enjoyed her body several times last night, I still wasn't satisfied. So when I woke up half an hour or so ago and was sporting a massive hard on, all I wanted to do was wake her up and ravish that lovely body of hers. But I decided against it and tried to ignore that she was very naked beside me, albeit sleeping. She needed rest, especially after the long hours we had last night.

My wife – my very naked wife – however, had to fucking moan in her sleep and my resolve crumbled. Rolling her on her back, I started kissing and sucking her breasts, tugging on her nipples until she'd woken up.

And this was what I had been doing to her for the last fifteen minutes or so. _Fucking her oh so slow and deep._

She raised her hand to her brown mane and pulled on the strands, pressing her beautiful breasts closer to my chest and making her hard nipples graze my chest. _So fucking good!_ Her walls were starting to tense and I knew she was close. Leaning forward, I sucked and kissed the skin on her neck as I fucked her slowly.

Her sweet taste was intoxicating and I was licking and nibbling on her delicate skin when suddenly there was a loud knocking sound on my door. Ignoring the disturbance, I continued to suck on her soft skin between my lips, making sure to leave my mark on her. She was moaning and I knew she liked it.

The banging on the door became insistent and she stiffened beneath me, realizing we were being interrupted. I kissed her lips in an attempt to distract her from whomever it was that had the gall to disturb our intimate time together, and continued to thrust into her. I pulled out almost all the way and pushed back slowly but deeper inside her.

The loud knocking on the door didn't stop, but instead became louder.

"Masen," she said, her eyes panicked as she tried to push me away.

"No baby, ignore them. They can wait," I panted. Pulling her hips closer, it allowed me to be deeper inside her. I slowly dragged my thick cock over the area that made her scream, making sure she could feel every bit of me.

"Let me finish this…oh, god…I need to fucking finish this, baby," I muttered while I pistoned into her. The lust in her eyes told me she had forgotten about the knocking on the door, and was more concerned on the pounding I was doing to her.

"Edward!" I heard Jasper's voice through the thick door. _That shithead!_ My cock was so fucking hard and I needed to come so badly. Not to mention, I had to take care of my girl.

Jasper didn't seem to get it to his head that the non-response he was getting was a sign he was being ignored."I'm going to go in, Edward," he informed, his voice loud and clear. "You better be fucking ready when I do!" _Fucking asshole!_

I increased my pace, my hips were like a jackhammer pushing and pulling into her. Just as she clenched around me, I heard the door to the room open. Bella was oblivious to the fact we were no longer alone, still savoring her orgasmic high. She was moaning and screaming, so I captured her lips and swallowed her words. She was still clenching around me and I wanted to prolong her orgasm, so I started thrusting again. I was aware that my very naked ass was exposed to Jasper as I pumped into my wife.

"Jesus!" I heard Jasper at the same time I felt Bella stiffen beneath me. Why did I have to forget to lock the door, of all things? I turned around and growled at him. I was still so deep inside her and her walls gripped me oh so fucking good.

I had stopped moving momentarily and scowled at Jasper, who was fucking grinning.

"Get out!"

"Edward, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important," he said so calm while his hands were on his hips, not even looking a bit flushed or embarrassed that he was staring at us in this compromising position. "You have to get ready, man. We'll be leaving in an hour."

"Godammit, I said fucking get out!" I yelled.

"Yes, boss," he drawled, at the same time he made a small salute and exited the room. I really wanted to go after him and beat the shit out of him, but my very hard and throbbing cock loved the warmth of my wife's pussy.

I turned to look at Bella, who was now trying to hide her face in my neck, and reached to pull her away from me. I gave her a reassuring smile. She was flushed, not only from the orgasm she just had, but also from the embarrassing moment with Jasper.

"Oh, my god Mase! That was fucking embarrassing!" she gasped out loud. I leaned my forehead against hers, and sighed.

"I'm now regretting why I agreed they come with us," I gritted my teeth, trying to control my raging lust.

"Yeah, me too," she mumbled as she closed her eyes, grinning and showing me her cute dimples.

My cock was still so hard and pulsating inside her, so I slowly pulled out and pushed inside again. Her eyes opened wide in surprise. It looked like she had forgotten momentarily that I was still inside her and still so very hard. Jasper catching us fucking didn't diminish my desire for her. _Not fucking likely!_ Pulling my cock out, I pushed back inside her pussy with a little more force. The moan that came from my Bella's lips spurred me on. Increasing my pace, I slammed into her, knowing she liked it rough.

Unhitching Bella's legs on my waist, I pushed her knees forward until it was touching her chest. Knowing she liked this angle, I proceeded to thrust into her again and again as I kissed her lips. Skimming my nose from her jaw to her ear, I licked the skin there as I talked dirty. She fucking loved that shit.

"You fucking love my cock inside you, don't you, babygirl?" I asked hoarsely, loving the way she felt against me. Her breasts bounced as I continued with my insistent thrusting that were now becoming forceful.

"Yes, fucking….amazing! Oh, god….more!"

"You like this pace, huh? You want to fucking feel me slide in and out of your pussy slowly, don't yah?"

"Yes, baby! I want if fast. I want it hard… deep… slow…I want it all!...Oh, god….I love what you're doing…oh…oh…don't stop!"

I growled. Hearing her words went straight to my cock. I didn't think it was possible but I became harder than I already was. Grabbing her ankle, I kissed the inside of her legs before putting it over my shoulder. I was fucking her hard now, the wet slapping sound combined with our grunts and moans were the only sounds that could be heard in the entire room.

She came hard the second time around, screaming my name, which in turn spurred my own orgasm. My cock twitched inside her, spilling my seed as she milked me for all I've got.

We were both breathing heavy, as I slumped against her, trying to come down from my own high. When I got control of myself, I pulled out my now limp cock and rolled us both to the side.

She was looking at me, her lips were red and swollen from all the kissing we did, her right hand rested flat on my chest.

"I love you, Bella," I whispered, as I moved a strand of hair away from her eyes.

"Huhummm," she responded as she closed her eyes, the exhaustion getting to her. It was my fault. I had kept her up until the wee hours of the morning because I couldn't get enough of her. It had taken her yawn and the fact that she couldn't seem to keep her eyes open any longer for me to allow her to go to sleep last night. When it came to her, I seem to be addicted. I wanted to be connected to her intimately 24/7. Just after I come, I want to go and fuck her again. Do it all over again. It was like I was sex-starved, never getting enough.

I was rubbing my hand on her naked back, her skin sweaty and hot, as I stared at her puckered lips. "Baby, don't go back to sleep. We have to go and get ready in a while."

"Huhummm," she murmured again, without even opening her eyes. Rolling us over again, she was on her back, her eyes still closed. I leaned forward and licked the sweaty skin from her neck down to the valley of her breasts, which looked so luscious. Rubbing my day old scruff on her milky skin, I moved to one of her breast and captured one pink nipple, sucking slowly. I could feel my cock stirring so I forced myself to get up before my lust would go raging out of control again. There was a lunch meeting I needed to be and I couldn't be late for it. Once I had removed my hands on her, she turned and snuggled on the pillow beside her.

I would allow her to rest a little longer while I get ready.

xxxxxxxxxx

Staring at Bella from where I was standing, she was in her white skimpy bikini and her hair was tied, exposing her long neck. The sarong that wrapped her waist didn't cover much of her amazing legs. She looked so fucking gorgeous, and I couldn't help but feel smug she belonged to me. She was everything I wanted in a woman, and I was a lucky bastard she fell in love with me. She was speaking with Alice and her angelic laugh made me want to go and do dirty things to her.

"Edward, stop eye-fucking your wife for a moment so you can actually listen to what I'm saying," Jasper said exasperated. "You've already been fucking her the whole night last night. Don't you get enough?"

The whole time he was talking, I never released my gaze on my wife. But the last statement made me turn to him with a scowl.

"You weren't supposed to be here. You and Alice," I hissed as I downed the last of my scotch. "This was supposed to be our fucking honeymoon! You just had to invite yourselves!"

"It's your sister who did that. Had I known I would be hearing you fuck, I wouldn't have come," he said as he lit a cigarette, offering me one which I declined. "Shit, man…you were so fucking loud last night."

"You shouldn't complain, you fucktard. You endure," I told him as I slapped my hand on his chest.

He chuckled, and it surprised me. "You didn't quite understand what I meant, man. It actually turned me on."

I fucking knew Jasper was a sick fuck.

"Hearing you guys made me so horny, I basically attacked your sister last night. Only problem was, I don't have the same endurance as you do," he informed me so casually, as if the words he was saying weren't creepy as fuck.

"You're sick, Jasper." I muttered, trying not to get irritated at him because of the visual he had just made of him and my sister.

"Your fucking was like an aphrodisiac." His voice held something between awe and confusion. He slowly shook his head as if trying to understand it himself. "And I don't want to have to hear it again, or I'm going to die of exhaustion."

"Are you fucking for real, J?" I muttered, still not quite sure what to feel about all this. He was one really weird guy, talking matter-of-factly about hearing me fuck and getting off because of it, as if it was just an everyday conversation. He cocked his eyebrow in response, and grinned.

Before I could do anything I would regret, I walked away from him as his laughter followed me. Going to the small bar situated at one side of the yacht, I poured another glass of scotch for me and a glass of wine for Bella.

This was supposed to be a vacation for only Bella and me - to enjoy each other especially after all that happened in Seattle. This island I was interested in buying had been put up on sale just last week and the owner wanted a meeting. That was why I was here. We had just been to the mainland in Rio to talk with the previous owner.

This was our long awaited honeymoon, which I scheduled in time with our first Christmas together. It was a good idea at that time. Bella didn't even mind I had to make this one important business deal. She understood. I was buying this yet unnamed island for her. The meeting I just had went well. All the papers were signed, and the island was officially mine to give to her. I hadn't given her anything she didn't have yet, and so this piece of land would fall under that category.

Bella loved the isolated part of the island, which had a vacation house. It was perfect for a getaway together…alone.

What I didn't expect was my sister imposing on our said 'honeymoon'. She had insisted she needed to see what I was buying for my wife and pestered Bella on coming with us. I also didn't expect Bella to agree so easily, which made me irritated when I learned we would not be alone. My wife knew how to fizzle down my anger so I didn't stand a chance where she was concerned.

She would do anything to make me forget my anger. Just like that time a week ago, when I almost had a fucking heart attack when she made me chase her all over Chicago, and some parts of Illinois. I was livid to the point I was seeing red. My panic that something might happen to her had fueled my anger at her and my fucking sister, the crazy person who suggested the stupid idea to my wife to begin with. But I was relieved once I saw Bella was safe and unharmed. She had used that voodoo shit where she would gaze at me with those brown eyes, pouting her red lips at the same time, leaving me mesmerized. I had melted and gave in easily, ready to give her basically anything she would ask for.

I held the two glasses of drinks on each hand as I made my way towards Bella. A few strands of her hair had loosened from the tie and was fanning her face as the wind whipped around us.

I reached Bella, and handed her the drink. I immediately wrapped my free hand around her waist and kissed her neck, nuzzling as she giggled. Alice didn't seem to mind our public display of affection as much as I did when she and Jasper were doing it. She just stood beside us and grinned, observing us the whole time. _My sister and her husband may be voyeurs or some shit like that. They certainly like to listen._ Shuddering, I pushed all thoughts of their sex life away. I didn't need those to ruin my time with my wife.

I raised my head and rested my chin on Bella's shoulders as we stood near the railings of the yacht. The island was coming into to view, the white sand and the crystal blue waters made it more beautiful. A sight to behold as dusk settled in.

I leaned towards her ear and whispered, "Do you like the island, babygirl? This is yours, you know. My Christmas present to you."

She turned around and faced me, placing the hand that didn't hold the glass on my chest. "I love it, Mase. I already told you that." She gave me a small smile, and reached up to give me a kiss. Anticipating the kiss, I leaned down to meet with hers. The kiss soon became heated and I had to pull away, or I would fuck her here, where everyone could see. I knew Alice wouldn't be so nonchalant about it then.

She licked her lips, before smiling again. "Thank you." She turned around and stared ahead. We stood together, as we finished the drinks. I was still excited this whole trip went without a hitch, with just a little exception of my sister and her husband.

This was our honeymoon. Whether or not they would hear us, I intended to be inside my Bella as many times as I could tonight.

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"Fuck!" I grunted, my hands fisting her hair as I shoot my load inside Bella's throat, twitching and spilling my seed as she swallowed my cum. When I was spent, she released me and smiled smugly as she licked the tip of my still sensitive and now limp cock.

She didn't need to ask about it, she knew she sucked me so good. She stood up from where she was kneeling and pushed me so I could sit down on the outdoor Jacuzzi that had occupied our time before she decided to blow me. I was naked like the day I was born, but I didn't fucking care if somebody saw me.

Once we were seated, I pulled her so she was straddling me. Grabbing her head, I pulled her closer so I could kiss her.

"Mmmm, I could taste myself on you baby. Do you love how I taste?" I asked seductively. My limp cock was once again stirring, and I knew it would only take seconds before it would be hard as steel again.

"Yes, Mase. You're fucking delicious," she responded as she pulled my earlobe inside her mouth biting it. "I love sucking you." My hand moved from her neck to fondle her bikini-covered breast. Her nipple was so hard, it could have cut glass.

I gasped when she started swirling her tongue inside the sensitive skin of my ear, because it felt so fucking good. She continued to grind against me and my now hard cock was rubbing against her wet core, which was only covered by a thin fabric.

Untying her top and her bikini bottom, she was now completely naked. Pulling one nipple in my mouth, I sucked and nibbled on the pink mound, making her elicit some very sexy moans. Her head was bent backwards which made her breasts more accessible to me. Giving the other nipple my attention, I sucked hard while I slowly moved my hand towards her flat stomach to her creamy thighs and down to the place I knew she wanted most. I tentatively touched her lips, and she gasped.

"Oh baby, you're horny, aren't you?" I smirked and inserted two fingers in her pussy. She was so wet I had no difficulty doing it. "I can feel….and I can even fucking smell how much you want me!" The smell of her sex was so potent I knew I needed to taste her soon. Curling my fingers, she bucked her hips as she moaned and yelled how she loved my fucking fingers.

"You like that?" I asked hoarsely, grabbing my cock in one hand, as I pushed and pulled my fingers roughly inside, making low wet slapping sounds. Standing up and removing her from my lap, I pushed her to sit on the edge of the Jacuzzi. Her head thrown back and her legs open, she was a sight to behold. I couldn't wait to touch and taste her. I kneeled in between her legs, pushing her thighs as far as they could go. She was so fucking open for me, her pink pussy lips slick and throbbing, waiting to be fucked. I leaned forward to lick her slit and I almost fucking died. _She's so fucking delicious!_ I growled and moved forward to suck and bite her clit as I continued to finger fuck her. She came hard and I lapped on her juices, licking the surge of sweet honey that pooled there until she stopped clenching around my fingers.

I pulled my digits out as she tried to hold herself steady. Her eyes were closed and her breathing heavy, as she gripped onto the edge of the tub.

"Look what you did, babygirl. You made a mess," I said as I stood up and went between her legs, raising my hand and showing her my now slick fingers full of her cum.

She opened her eyes and bit her lower lip as if embarrassed, and I wanted nothing more but to put my fucking cock inside her and pound her into oblivion.

Smiling wickedly, I raised my fingers and slowly licked it, never removing my eyes from hers. Her breathing hitched and her nose flared while she stared at me as I sucked hungrily on my fingers. Her pupils were dilated and she was turned on again. _God, I love how she reacts to me_.

"You want a taste? Did you fucking know you taste so fucking addictive?" I informed her.

"Do I?" She reached for my hand and continued where I left off, sucking each digit and making me fucking harder as she moaned with every lick and suck.

Grabbing her head, I removed my fingers and captured her mouth in mine, biting and sucking on her lips and tongue.

"Mase, I need your cock now, baby…pulsing inside me."

Rubbing my now steel-like cock against her wet core, I slid inside, doing what she asked. My cock was throbbing from the need to be surrounded by her warmth that I slammed inside her, not waiting for her to adjust to my thickness. She didn't seem to mind, so I continued to pound inside her, wrapping her legs around my waist, and supporting her back as I fucked her so hard I was afraid she would bruise. She was mewling, and the sound was fueling my lust. I couldn't and wouldn't stop for anything.

She screamed when she came, her walls gripping my engorged cock like a vise grip, fueling my own orgasm. I fucking came so hard I thought I was going to pass out. I slumped against her, hoping to God we would not fall to the floor. When the buzzing in my ears began to dissipate, I raised my head and met her gaze as she grinned like a Cheshire cat.

Her smile and our combined scent possessed me, clouding my mind with lust. My semi-hard cock was now fully erect again, and I was still inside her. Hell, she was like my fucking Viagra.

"Bella, are we protected?" I asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. I knew it didn't make a difference now because I had been fucking her bare even after the accident, but it was my duty to ask and tell her what I felt about it. She stared at me, still coming down from her high so it took her a couple of seconds before comprehension dawned on her face. She nodded and gave me a peck on my lips. Her slight movement affected the angle of my cock inside her, and I moaned.

Hoisting Bella, her legs wrapped around my waist, I carried her inside our room before Jasper or anybody else could feast on us. "Yes, I took the shot two weeks after the incident. I wasn't confident with just the pills because of all the meds I was taking."

"Just making sure. Because with the amount of times I fuck you, baby…I could surely knock you up. I'm still not ready for that." I walked through the living room to our room, and laid her on the bed. "I don't want to share you yet. With anyone."

She was licking the sweat from my neck when she stopped. She cocked her head to the side so I was staring at her mesmerizing brown orbs. "But you want kids?" she asked so suddenly that it stunned me for a moment, leaving me speechless. "In the future, I mean." She looked so uncertain, like she was afraid I would say no.

I really didn't know if I wanted kids, but I couldn't tell her that, especially since she was looking at me with an expectant look on her face. So I lied. I nodded my head and she smiled. _That was the best ever fucking lie I ever gave._

"Just not now, babygirl." I kissed her to shut her up with the topic of kids, and proceeded to move downwards to her breasts and pulled one pink nipple inside my mouth. I raised my head to see that she was staring at me. "But I love the act of making babies. That's always fun."

She gave me a winning smile and I was elated.

It was already in the wee hours of the morning that I allowed her to go to sleep, vowing to just give her enough rest to regain her strength before I wake her up again.

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**So, tell me...did you like their sexy time together? I definitely hope so. ;)**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

Thank you to ******Skyebella98** for all the help. ;)

I'm trying to update as fast as I can...so bear with me, please.

For everyone still reading this story...I'm sending my appreciation and love to you guys. MUAHZ!

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**Terms:**

**Capo:** the Family member who leads a crew

**Crank:** crystal meth.

**Family:** an organized crime clan

**Fence: **one who trades in stolen goods.

**Fix: **A situation in which law enforcement has been paid to allow criminal activity.

**Hit:** to murder

**Juice:** the interest paid to a loan shark for the loan

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**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

**BPOV**

The bright light coming through the window was blinding me, so I covered my face with a pillow to block out the sun. The strong smell of Edward assaulted me, and I snuggled more into the fluffy pillow.

Lingering in bed as long as I could, I closed my eyes and willed myself to go back to sleep. However, my mind and body were already wide-awake and didn't seem to want the additional rest. I rolled over and extended my arm to reach for Edward's side of the bed. Although I knew he was no longer there beside me, I still needed to check and confirm that he really wasn't. It was an involuntary reaction. As I laid my hand on the cold smooth silk, I felt something. Slowly raising my head to check, I couldn't help the grin that spread on my face.

My husband had left me a single white-stemmed rose.

Reaching for the flower, I raised it to my nose and took a sniff. My insides melted and my smile widened. _My handsome, sweet mobster._ He was so adorable. I laid on my back again as I placed the rose beside me on the bed. Thinking it would make him happy that I would call, I fumbled to look for my phone on the bedside table. It wasn't there.

_Hmmm. Where did I put it?_ I tried to remember where I had placed it yesterday. I wanted so badly to thank Edward for the sweet gesture.

We had just arrived from our holiday vacation last night. What a glorious time we had on that island. We had spent Christmas eve wrapped around each other, and had exchanged gifts the following day along with Alice and Jasper. He had bought the parcel of land as his Christmas gift to me. Of course being Edward, he didn't stop there. I now own a new Mercedes and a new set of diamond earrings.

The two weeks we had spent on the island was like a dream. Edward was less guarded and had seemed to enjoy the freedom he had from all his responsibilities. Emmett and Rosalie were supposed to celebrate New Year's Eve with us on the beach, but something came up and they weren't able to leave Seattle in time to welcome the New Year. The fireworks display Alice had paid to be set up was amazing…breathtakingly so, that I was left speechless. I was sure a couple of tens of thousands of dollars was spent. I had relished every minute with him, maybe because it was our first time to celebrate the holidays as a married couple. It was heaven. The most amazing thing about the whole vacation was my intimate time with Edward. We barely left the bedroom. He worked me so good and enjoyed my body like he was a deprived addict.

It was only now I could feel the exhaustion of all the fucking that we did. Every part of my body was sore… but it was a good kind of sore.

Wrapping the sheets around my naked form, I slowly made my way towards the other side of the room where the couch was. I had placed my handbag there last night and started rummaging through it for my phone. It wasn't there either. _Damn._

Deciding to search for it after I took a long and leisurely bath, I entered the posh bathroom. Shedding off my clothes, I stepped inside the large cubicle where the water from the six jets installed would no doubt soothe my aching muscles.

Another hour and I was dressed and rejuvenated from my hot shower.

Remembering I needed to find my phone, I started to scour the whole bedroom. _Where the hell is it?_ My phone was my extension to the world. Aside from needing to talk to Edward, I also wanted to call Emmett. After several minutes of scouring through all the nooks of our room, there was still no sign of my phone and I had almost given up. That was when I thought of Edward's office.

He had gone inside his private office a couple of minutes after we had arrived. Maybe he could've mistakenly brought it with him and unconsciously left it there.

As I pushed the thick door of the room he had converted into his office, I wasn't surprised of the orderliness I found there. It smelt of pine and wood, and it felt somewhat comforting. This whole room was immaculate. Nothing was out of place and all his things were well organized. My husband had slight OCD.

As I scanned the room, I saw leather seats and wood tables. Judging from the intricate deign patterns, I knew these were expensive furniture. Surprisingly, it was my first time to come inside here. Nobody aside from him and Jasper were allowed here.

Lifting papers and files on his table, I slowly rummaged through it, making sure not to make a mess. A few more minutes of searching, I was left more frustrated and irritated that my phone was missing. I sighed and decided to just get another one.

I was about to turn around when a white folder nestled between some books at the corner of the room caught my eye. Something made me go and take a look. Maybe it was the bold silver lettering or the way it was standing out conspicuously amongst the pile of books. All I knew was, I had to give in to the curiosity and take a peek at what was inside.

Opening the thick folder, I was shocked and enraged at what I saw. Never in my wildest dream did I expect what was inside. It contained documents and other papers about me. Information dating from three years ago up to the week before I had seen Edward again. There were also pictures of me in different locations. This meant they had me followed.

My heart was pounding so loudly in my chest I thought it would burst. _What the hell is this? _My mind was refusing to believe he could actually do this, but the proof was already in my hands. I was seething and my body was numb.

Not trusting I could hold my legs up any longer, I turned and sat on his chair. I scanned the documents and what I read made me fist my hand so hard, my nails digging into my palm. _Fucking asshole!_ He really made surveillance of me the whole time we were apart. How dare him! He left me and he had the audacity to want to know what I had been doing and what I had made myself into.

Not satisfied, I searched his office again. The anger I felt when I saw the file about me was nothing compared to the rage that consumed me when I saw another document of another person. _Emmett._

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**EPOV**

Rubbing my neck with my hand, I tried to relieve my tired muscles. I had left the penthouse so early this morning to go check on the cars that were carrying the _crank_ and was ready for loading on the docks. It would be shipped to Italy where our _fence_ would be responsible for its disposal. I had paid a goddamn shit load of money so that people like Pete, the chief of NYPD we had on our payroll_, _would allow us some fucking _fix_. Some people in the customs were also bribed in order this shipment would happen.

Jasper had only arrived a day before me and he needed to settle some dispute between some _capos_ over some _juice_ so it was left for me to oversee the loading of the cars without a hitch. This transaction was worth millions, and I couldn't allow something to fuck it up. I had left Eleazar to ensure the container vans with the goods would be properly packed on the ship.

My day had been long, and I was exhausted. I was ready to lie down and just cuddle with my babygirl.

Entering the elevator of my building with Garrett and Marcus hot on my trail, I loosened my tie and ran my hand through my messy hair. I was so fucking tired but it wouldn't hold me back from having some loving time with my wife. That thought made me grin. This was the first time in two weeks that we had been apart for more than three hours, and I missed her. It was like I was having a withdrawal symptom from a drug. I had been trying to get hold of her the entire day but my calls just went directly to her voice mail.

Stepping out, I quickly walked towards my penthouse, ignoring the guard who was posted there. I couldn't wait to see my wife. I was like a fucking schoolboy giddy with excitement for his crush.

Calling Bella's name, I expected her to respond with that sweet voice of hers, but I didn't get an answer. Checking to see if I had the time right, I glanced to check my watch again and saw that it was really almost eleven in the evening. She should be back by now from wherever she had been.

I was about to call Seth and check on him about Bella when I saw a couple of suitcases sitting outside our bedroom door. All bags seemed full and packed. Confused as to why Bella didn't mention she would be going somewhere, I called to her again.

I was making my way towards our bedroom when a small figure, sitting in the shadows in our living room, caught my eye. She was clearly drinking, and it confused me more why she was doing it in the dark.

"Baby, what are you doing here?" I asked softly as I went to the far end of the wall where the switch of the living room lights was.

Turning it on, the lights illuminated her. She just sat there immobile and catatonic. I slowly walked towards her and when she turned to face me, I could see her eyes were blotchy and her nose was red. She was fucking crying. _What the hell?_ I quickened my steps and kneeled in front of her and raised her chin towards me.

"Why the fuck are you crying, babygirl? Did something happen?" I asked, worried something really horrible happened to make her cry. I didn't want to see her tears.

She was holding a glass of what I guessed was whiskey, and downed it with one giant gulp before slamming it on the table beside the couch.

"You fucking wanna know, Mase?" her tone was dangerously low, and the anger laced in her words suddenly alarmed me. My heart started racing because she wouldn't be talking to me like this if I weren't the cause of it.

She stood up so suddenly and it made me stagger backwards from where I was kneeling. She picked up something from the table and threw it at me. It hit my chest and it fell down the rug. I already knew what I would find even before I lowered down my gaze to the floor.

She knows. _Oh, my fucking God! _I scrambled to my feet and moved towards her, wanting to pull her to me. But as I stepped forward, she moved a couple of steps away from me.

"Fucking stay away from me!" she hissed, her hand held up for a second to make a point. I stopped moving, afraid she would bolt from the room. "Explain why you have all those fucking pictures of Emmett!" She was so angry that her nose was flaring and her eyes were wild.

"Bella, oh God…please…please…" I stammered, really not anticipating this would happen so soon. I should have told her about this after she had told me she loved me, but we just got reunited and our relationship was so new I was afraid she wouldn't understand.

She stood there looking at me but scrambled towards the door like a scared cat when I involuntarily took a couple of steps towards her.

"Please, fucking stop doing that!" I muttered, on the verge of panicking that she would go and leave me before I had the chance to explain. Her suitcases were ready after all.

I ran my hand through my hair, pulling on the strands in agitation. Her hands crossed against the heavy rise and fall of her chest as she stared at me murderously, clearly waiting on an explanation. Shifting my gaze from her to the main entrance, I calculated how fast it would take to catch her if she decided she hated my guts and ran. I wouldn't allow her to leave me, even if I had to tie her down.

Returning my eyes to hers, I saw that she was still pissed. But something in her expression said she would stay enough to hear me out.

I took a step towards the couch but she again moved. My irritation was peaking but I reeled it in and just held my hand to stop her. "Don't." All I wanted at the moment was to just sit on the chair so I could rest and collect myself before I started explaining. Luckily, she stayed where she was standing so I took it as a sign she wouldn't go anywhere. Yet.

Plopping on the couch, I put my elbows on my knees as I ran my hands through my hair.

"Where you the one who pulled the trigger, Mase? He almost died three years ago!" Her voice cut through the silence of the room.

My head snapped towards her and I could see her eyes tearing up.

"No, no, Bella. It was not me, I swear!" I stood up again and unconsciously took a step towards her again. She then again moved and I almost stomped my feet in frustration. "Please, sit down and I will explain…please, baby."

She seemed so confused and I was itching to pull her to me and comfort her. But the likelihood she would allow me to do that now was zero to none, so I just clenched and unclenched my fists. "I promise, I'll not touch you," I told her, my eyes pleading for her to just sit down and listen.

She stood there for a few minutes contemplating on what to do before she finally walked slowly on the opposite couch from me.

Releasing the breath I was unconsciously holding, I waited until she was all settled on the big fluffy couch. She licked her lips before pulling the lower one in between her teeth. It was an involuntary reaction when she was agitated, not to mention she was wringing her hands together in anxiousness.

Staring and not breaking my gaze from her, I pointed to the pictures on the rug in front of us. "See…that was some of the shi-….things I had planned on doing…and did when I started as the Big Boss."

Bella didn't say anything but she was now frowning, and confusion etched on her face.

"Remember when we broke up, I didn't know you were in the mob," I informed her, holding her gaze. She nodded as she continued to bite her lip and I was afraid she would break skin.

"It was a month or two after I broke up with you that I saw Emmett," I said seriously. "He came into my radar because he was always in the city. I knew back then who he was, and I was fucking angry to see him in New York. I thought at the time he and your father were planning on expanding your _Family's_ business to the big apple. I was fucking livid," I told her. My eyes were pleading with her the whole time for her to understand. "I was interested in New York and I didn't want his fucking ass there. He was a threat to my plans..." I left that hanging for a while, really scared now of what she would think of me "…so I planned to take him down."

She gasped when I said that, almost leaping from her chair. I was ready to pounce after her, but she eventually sat down again and she clutched the arm of the couch tightly.

"Why the hell would you do that?" she asked seething. "He was just visiting me. Making sure I was okay after that incident with the coke!"

"_How could I have known about that?_" I thought to myself sarcastically. The guilt I had always felt every time the over dose incident was mentioned didn't come, and I felt somewhat irritated by her bringing it up. Arguing was so tempting but I knew better than to add fuel to fire. So I stayed quiet and held my tongue. No need to aggravate the situation by telling her that. Her anger was already peaking, and I could see it in the dangerous glint in her eyes.

She stood up to pace and turned to face me. "So did you call a hit on him, is that it?"

The tension was radiating from her and so I did what I felt I needed to do. I grabbed her hands and held it between mine, even as she tried to pull them away several times.

"Dammit, Bella…look at me," I pleaded. "Look at me!"

She reluctantly stopped pulling and raised her brown orbs to mine; her eyes were still wet with tears. I sighed in frustration. "Yes, I did call a hit." Her eyes narrowedand before I could react to it, she kneed me in the balls.

"You, asshole! Why did you do that? You almost killed him! My brother!" she yelled, cursing me.

My knees had buckled from the excruciating pain in my groin. I was down on the floor, holding my balls while I groaned and moaned, trying to catch my breath. _Fuck! It hurts like hell!_

She allowed me some time to gather myself, and was looking smug at what she had done. The fire in my crotch lessened and I was able to get up from the floor. "Shit, Bella. That hurt!"

"Good," she retorted in a satisfied tone, but she was still looking at me with that murderous scowl of hers.

"Jesus, woman…you got to fucking relax!" I yelled, my patience was really thinning and I was seconds from tying her to my bed while I talked. She made an attempt to kick me again but I sidestepped her. "Okay, okay…Jesus!"

"Now, explain," she hissed.

Huffing, I tried to reach for her hands again but she brushed me away. "As I've said, I hired someone to kill Emmett," I said, exasperated. "But someone got to him first, Bella."

Her eyes watered and the tears started to fall. I pulled her to me as she sobbed, rubbing her back and shushing her. She was mumbling 'why did you do that?' over and over again and I held her tight to me. Her head rested on my chest as she gripped the front of my shirt for dear life.

"Baby, someone got to him first," I rambled as I rubbed my hands on her back, nuzzling my face in her hair.

"W-what?" she asked so suddenly, registration was now clear on her face. I just stared at her tear-filled eyes and she sniffled. "Masen, what did you say?"

It was evident she understood what I had been saying but just needed to hear me say it again. I raised my hand to wipe away the tears.

"It wasn't us who shot him. I was there," I informed her, looking at her straight in the eyes so she would believe I was telling her the truth. "It was not our bullet."

She pushed away from me and I allowed her some distance. "If it wasn't you, then who the hell did?"

I shrugged. "I don't fucking know. But believe me when I say, it wasn't us."

The one responsible for shooting Emmett intrigued me then, and I had planned to investigate. But Bella coming into the picture had made me forget about finding the one responsible for her brother's attempted murder. Maybe Charlie and Emmett even knew who was responsible but didn't see the need to inform their daughter about it. Now was a good time to do some reinvestigation on that matter. I made a mental note to look into this as soon as possible.

"I was shocked myself that someone also wanted your brother dead," I told her. "To say I was happy when he was shot was a fucking understatement." I could still remember how I felt when I thought he was dead. "When we saw he was still alive, we went to the hospital where he was rushed to. It was then that I saw you with Charlie."

She frowned as if she was trying to remember. I could still see her clear as the day she stepped out of the limo, holding her father's hands in hers. The distraught look on her face would forever haunt me.

I closed my eyes again, trying to shake off that mental image. "It was then I realized you were Emmett's sister. I really don't know why I didn't make the connection before that."

"Because I didn't tell you."

"Yeah, you didn't," I responded petulantly. "But I should've known you were one of the Swan Family since you came from Washington. That should have tipped me off… but it didn't."

She licked her lips and furrowed her brows, making me unsure whether or not she was still angry. "After seeing you with Charlie in that hospital, I decided to let one of my guards trail you."

She closed her eyes and sighed. "Shit, Masen…you're such a motherfucking asshole! I can't believe you did that!"

I pulled her to me again. This time there was no resistance from her. "I'm sorry." I tilted her chin and leaned in to give her a kiss. She allowed me that one kiss.

"I still can't get it over my head that you called a hit on my fucking brother," she said, still in denial. "Just you fucking wait and see until he learns about this."

"I don't fucking care, Bella." I looked at her seriously. "As long as you still love me after this…that's what's important to me."

She smiled and the relief I felt was instantaneous. As I hugged her close to me, I couldn't help but think about Emmett. It would be good for everybody's sake if he could let this go easily as she did. I crossed my fingers as I kissed her forehead, wishing it would be that simple. There was a good chance Emmett wouldn't take this lightly…and that was where complications would arise. _Fuck!_

_

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_**Thanks for reading! ;D**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

I'm baaack! lol.

Sorry for the long wait. Got no excuse, so I won't start blabbing shit.

Thank you to**Thaigher lillie **and ******Skyebella98 **for checking this amidst their busy schedules. **Love love to you guys.**

I'm a stubborn bitch, though, and had to tweak this some, so any mistakes found here are all mine.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

**EPOV**

The smell of alcohol permeated throughout the whole room and I frowned, remembering why I was here.

The bar was full of drunken men, either trying to drown in their sorrow or get laid. Some unknown song was blaring through some speakers and a couple of people were dancing slowly and sloppily on the small dance floor. This scene was ordinary when you were in a local dingy bar like I was now, a very small and dark bar in Wenatchee.

I took a long drag of my cigarette, exhaling white smoke through my nostrils, as I stared hazily at the back of the man who was a person of interest to me. Vicky was trying to seduce him, but from the way he was ignoring her, she looked to be failing majorly. She discreetly caught my eye and communicated her frustration. I just gave my standard nod, and she knew what to do.

She stayed where she was and would try harder.

Vicky had been stalking this Snake person for a couple of weeks now. His sudden change of scenery from that bar in Bellevue to here made us suspicious. That was why we were here - to try and find out if there was a reason for the shift, and maybe have another shot at seducing him as well. We had been looking for some ways to make him more amiable…or more receptive and open to Vicky's questioning. We had already enticed him with booze and the best grade coke from Europe, but that didn't work. Whoever hired him, paid him well. But it would be a matter of time before we got him. I would make sure of that. I was sure he had no inkling that he was being monitored. He didn't even have any idea Vicky was in the mob; he thought she was just a stripper interested in him. The biggest fucking problem was we didn't know what his sexual preference was and it was starting to annoy me. It would be a useful tool against him; especially since I needed some answers he was the only one who could give. As per my instructions, there would be no torturing, no killing because we needed him alive.

It was taking too fucking long to crack this shithead, and I was becoming impatient. This Snake was a nuisance, an itch I needed to scratch. Two days ago I came to a decision to go check on him myself since I was already headed to Seattle for another important matter. _Emmett_.

I wanted to man up to him about the hit I had called. Even if it happened a couple of years back, I needed to come clean with him for Bella. If I wanted my relationship with her to last, this couldn't be kept a secret any longer. I knew she loved me but she also love Emmett. The way she freaked out the week before when she learned I had planned to kill her brother precipitated my decision to talk about it with him.

A waitress appeared next to me as I continued to stare at the bar where Snake and Vicky sat. They had been talking for over an hour and nothing was happening. It was irritating the hell out of me. Snake was just ignoring the blatant advances and flirting glances Vicky was sending his way. If I didn't see for myself that he wasn't responding to her the way we wanted, I wouldn't have believed it. Victoria was one stunning woman and it would be hard to resist her.

The waitress, who had been trying to catch my attention, moved in front of me and blocked my view. I almost growled in irritation. As I raised my eyes, her flirtatious smile was already plastered on her aging face. Her fake boobs were threatening to spill over the plunging neckline of her shirt and her bleached blond hair was conspicuous amidst the dim lights. I wondered if she truly knew what she looked like. Instead of scowling, I morphed my expression into one of faked interest. Ordering another glass of scotch, I tried to dazzle her with my smile. It wouldn't hurt to have a back-up plan of some sorts, and a desperate waitress was always a good person to have as a 'friend'. I guess I did a good job at impressing her because her eyes were twinkling mischievously. I paid her a compliment, a little lie about how pretty she was. The looks she gave me said she believed me. _Poor woman._ When she was satisfied with my false attention, she quickly left for my drink and I sighed in relief. I lit another cigarette and resumed observing the two people I was most interested in. They were now close together in a tight embrace. Vicky was kissing Snake's neck and was grinding her body against his. I thought we were making progress when he suddenly pushed her away and staggered towards the exit, leaving Vicky frustrated and me really pissed off.

_Dammit, what does the fucker need? _I slammed my fist on the bar table as I growled, rattling the glasses on top of it. I gritted my teeth in anger, as I pinched the bridge of my nose. I could feel the eyes of some of the patrons on me, and I shrugged it off. I didn't care whether someone recognized me or not. I was always prepared for battle. Even though I had only brought two men with me, they were enough to keep me safe.

Raising my eyes from my clenched fist, I saw Vicky looking at me then nodded her head towards the backdoor. When I gave her a nod as confirmation, she strutted towards the exit confidently. She swayed her hips exaggeratedly, knowing full well the effect it had on the men who had been silently observing her the whole time she was perched on the bar stool. The way she moved was sexy as hell and nobody would have suspected she was gay. She did act as if she wanted cock instead of pussy. _Damn, tease._ She was really good at her job, and that was why she did most of the important works.

It was time for me to leave. I knocked back the scotch in my hand before leaving a couple of bills on the table. Marcus, who was standing nearby, was right behind me.

Vicky was leaning against the SUV as she lit a cigarette, cupping the stick with her hand so she could light it properly.

"Boss, he seems such a fucking prude," Vicky whined before pulling a long drag from the stick.

"What the hell is the problem? Goddammit, we've been trying to make him talk. It's been like what...two months? And we still haven't got shit!"

I was balling my fists, trying to control the anger that was building inside me. Snake was the only thing we had that was connected to Charlie's death. I had promised Bella I would help find her father's killer and that was what I would do. The only problem was, we were nowhere near cracking the surface of his goddamn death. I was fucking frustrated to say the least.

"Don't worry, Boss," Vicky assured me as she puffed on her cigarette. She looked so goddamn relaxed it was pissing me off. But instead of taking out my anger on her, I took a long deep breath to settle myself. "We'll get him the next time," she said so softly, but the confidence laced in her words wasn't lost to me. I was sure she intended to keep that promise. She always did, and there was no reason to doubt her. However, her assurance alone didn't comfort me in anyway. "I just have to find what his weakness is." She winked at me and I scowled.

"Why don't we just kill him?" she said so nonchalantly. I didn't know if she was just trying to act stupid, or whether she was really dumb and I had never realized it. I thought I had made it clear with her the reasons we needed Snake alive. But just as I thought her stupid, I quickly squashed that idea because Vicky was a lot of things, but she was certainly not dimwitted. However, she was definitely acting like a fucking airhead now and it fueled my anger again.

"No. He is the only thing we have right now that links us to Charlie's death," I said, gritting my teeth in annoyance.

"I bet I could get him to tell me what I needed to know. Just give me a few hours and a secure area," she said confidently. "I promise you, Boss. I'll have all the information you need after I'm finished punishing him."

"Fuck! Didn't you hear me?" I hissed at her and she frowned. "No one's going touch him! I couldn't risk torturing him. It would-"

"Boss, I can-"

"I said, NO! All the touching I want for him is sexual! Or anything that doesn't involve him getting hurt…yet. Do you understand?" I snapped angrily, as I stared at her for confirmation she understood what I wanted. "You find how we can get him alone…in bed with a woman…or man."

"Yes, boss." She was smiling now and I couldn't help wonder what the hell was going through that wicked mind of hers. We heard some commotion from afar, and we all turned to check what it was.

"Shit, we have to get outta here." I slid in the SUV Marcus drove and Vicky did the same.

"I promise you Edward, he'll be eating out of the palm of my hand the next time I see him."

I scowled at no one in particular. If I had my way, I really wanted to just kill the fucker. He was really being an annoyance to me. However, I couldn't risk torturing him in the event he might get killed in the process, leaving us with no details whatsoever. It was too risky to get information through that because Snake looked like the person that couldn't outlive torturing. I wouldn't risk it. That was why we were taking the long route…bribing him with women, alcohol, and drugs without him knowing what we were really up to.

"Fucking shit!" I growled, and everyone in the car became quiet. This Snake should talk the next time we have him or somebody would pay.

Just then my phone started ringing, momentarily distracting me from my anger.

"This better be good, J," I hissed against the speaker. "I'm not in the mood…"

"Edward, something happened in Seattle…"

xxxxxxxxxx

"Fuck! What the hell happened, J?" I asked agitated, as I readied myself for the three-hour drive from Wenatchee to Seattle.

My plan had been to visit Emmett first, but I was informed that Snake was already in Wenatchee and might leave soon so I had to change plans. Instead of going straight to Seattle, I had come here in the hopes we would have more luck in cracking the motherfucker's resolve.

"I'm really not sure yet. But it's bad, Edward. Hell, they have people dead," he said, his disbelief was evident in his tone. "Shit!"

"Are Emmett and Rosalie okay?" I asked. My heart started racing because I needed to know how they were. If something bad happened to them, I knew Bella would be devastated, and I couldn't have that. She was my world and in order for my life to be okay, hers should be, too.

"Emmett wasn't there but Rose was. She's hurt but I'm not sure yet what her condition is," he informed sadly. Before I could respond, I heard him make instructions to some of his men and I knew I had to let him go do what he needed to do. He came back on the phone panting. "Don't worry, Edward, I'm on my way. I'll be in their house in half an hour." He was already in the city for some shit we needed to help Emmett with. Thank God for that!

"Dammit, nobody tell Isabella about this yet. Not until I arrive there," I said seriously. He didn't answer. "Did you hear me, Jasper? I fucking said…"

"Yes, I heard you man," he interrupted quickly. His voice had an edge to it and I guessed this affected him in some way. "But Edward, do you think that's a good idea?"

"I gave an instruction," I growled, pissed he was questioning me. "You fucking follow!" I cut him before he was able to respond and hung up the phone.

Jasper had given me just enough so I have some kind of idea what had happened in the Swan's house. The Swan's big mansion in Seattle was bombed half an hour ago, and the damage was severe. I wasn't sure how much just yet. There was another security breach and I was sure this was an inside job. Jasper informed me that many of Emmett's men were injured, if not killed. Rosalie was hurt as well. That was another big problem. I was sure Emmett would want to retaliate because surely I would if it was Bella injured.

I had a feeling this time around the Volturi's had something to do with it but I had to check the scene before I could conclude. Something inside kept nagging at me that Jacob had something to do with this in some way. I was rarely wrong about my gut feeling and it was a very useful tool in my planning. I was almost always correct that once I felt it, I usually acted on it. However, I couldn't even touch one fucking hair of Jacob, mainly because of Bella. He was still a friend to her, and I couldn't risk my Bella's wrath just in case I was wrong. I was fairly certain he was involved in this somehow. I just needed to prove it, and that was the reason I was keeping Snake alive.

xxxxxxxxxx

I was searching through the rubble that was the foyer of their main house. It was littered with blocks of blasted walls. The Swans lost a third of their men in this attack.

From the look of the house, you could see that there would be fatalities. One of them was Rosalie. No, she wasn't dead; however, she was in the intensive care unit and was still unconscious. She had been in her room when all this happened. Though the southern part of the house, which was where her room was located, was far from where the bomb detonated, it was still too strong that she had been thrown back towards the wall of her room. The impact of her body to the solid brick wall might have been hard since it caused some head trauma, which was why she was still unconscious. I was uncertain of what other injuries she had but I was hoping it wasn't severe.

As I stepped carefully on the littered debris of the blast, I saw some policemen searching the area and shouting for me not to enter the secured police line. I had momentarily ignored them to make a quick inspection. Just when I was about to walk back where I came from, an arm pulled me back hard. I turned around to check who the fuck had the audacity to touch me. It was some rookie cop. I knew from the look he gave me that he was fairly new in the force. He quickly stepped away from me when he saw my expression, quickly realizing his mistake.

It was a good thing he had the sense to get away from me just before Marcus appeared. He had a menacing look that could scare anyone. I shook my head to signal that I didn't want him to touch the officer.

"Marky, let it go," I said, my voice loud making him snap his murderous gaze away from the now obviously shaken officer. "Where the hell is Jasper, anyway? He was supposed to be here."

"Garrett said he's in the hospital. Checking on Rosalie," he said, his head turning to inspect the officer again. I followed his gaze and saw that a few of the policemen were now looking at us. I was sure that the rookie said something to them to make them curious about us. Some just stared as if they were disinterested, but some had scowls plastered on their faces. I was certain that half of the men standing there would be on Emmett's payroll, but I didn't have the time to decipher who they were. I needed to go look for Jasper.

"Boss, what will we do about Bella?" Marcus asked and nodded his head towards some people with cameras that looked to be reporters.

"Shit!" I growled, knowing this would be all over the news, if it weren't already. Bella would know. I slid inside the SUV and motioned for them to bring me wherever Jasper was.

Vicky was behind the wheel and I knew we would be at our destination in half the time it would normally take us. She was a fucking devil on the road.

"Did you call Seth?" I addressed Marcus, who was sitting beside me. I had instructed earlier he informed Seth about what happened here, but specifically told them not to tell Bella just yet. I would deal with the ramifications of my actions later.

"Yes Boss," he answered as he shifted his body, maybe to find a more comfortable position. "I talked to him an hour ago. He said they were on their way to the airport. I'm sure they're in the air right now."

"Did he tell Bella?"

"No, Boss. I checked and Bella doesn't know. She was just informed that we were giving a surprise party for you." I looked at him incredulously and he shrugged his shoulders. That was the lamest fucking excuse ever. I didn't even have an occasion to have a surprise party for.

"Seth's kinda a bad liar, but at least it worked this time. Bella believed it." His shoulders were shaking and I knew he found something funny about the situation. It was a weak excuse but if it did the job, it was fine with me. I had no problem with whatever they told Bella to make her ride that plane, as long as, she didn't know yet.

I had just promised myself that I would be honest with her always. But this time, I would have to regress yet again. If she knew about this without me there with her, I was scared she would do something reckless. She was hot-tempered and irrational when she was angry, so I couldn't risk letting her know until she was here with me. I knew I was screwing things up again. This lying would get me in a whole new trouble with her, but I would take that any day than let her endanger herself.

When we arrived at the hospital, everything was in chaos. Jasper was trying to pacify Emmett the best way he could - by giving him something alcoholic to drink. I was intrigued how they got the alcohol inside this facility, but I wouldn't get it past Jasper to have bribed someone for it. The surprising thing was the staff seemed oblivious of the drink being passed around Emmett and Jasper. Emmett was pacing, and he looked wrecked. I could sympathize because I once experienced that pain when Bella was in that car crash. I could see his knuckles becoming white from the strain of clenching his fists, and I was afraid he would punch anyone who would get close.

He caught my gaze and I took it as an invitation to go near him. He was furious and I couldn't blame him.

"Shit, Edward!" he yelled, as he slumped his body back to the aluminum seat. "They touched my Rosie, goddammit! If something happened to her…Fuck!"

"Chill out, man. She'll be alright," I reassured him falsely, as I sat next to him. I didn't even know how Rosalie was faring but I felt I owed him to say something. For every body's sake - Emmett, Bella and in turn, me – I hoped she would be okay. "I assure you we'll fucking get those motherfuckers who did this."

He didn't respond, just put his hands on his face and sobbed. I felt his pain but I didn't know what to do, so I just stayed there with him.

It was funny how things could turn out. I came to Washington to talk to Emmett and tell him the truth on the hit I had called. I wanted to clear things with him without Bella in the vicinity. I knew Emmett had a temper and I wasn't sure how he would deal with what I had to say. I thought it was better if we settled it between the two of us. I was still determined to resolve this issue with him when the time was good. Just not now.

As I sat there, contemplating on what would happen when Bella arrived, I saw Emmett balled his fist and punched the metal chair beside him. I offered to call the nurse but he declined and just returned to mumbling and cursing. Somebody came to talk to him the same time Jasper appeared in front of me. He glanced momentarily towards Emmett before motioning for me to go with him.

"Jesus Edward," he hissed as he pulled me away from Emmett. "I think he's losing it." His voice said, as he found Emmett's distress very straining. Jasper was stressed and I was certainly alerted by his reaction. "I was there when he came back from the hospital to check on his men." He was shaking his head as if he wanted to dispel what it was on his mind.

"J, we'll deal with Emmett later," I said, trying to remain cool and collected. "So what have you got?"

He looked at me cautiously. "I talked to Benjamin, remember him?" He stopped enough to check that I indeed remembered who was responsible for the security in the Swan's home. "He's an expert on high grade explosives. He's young, but he's some kind of a genius," he said in awe. "Anyway, he's guessing the bomb that exploded had some _Semtex_ on it, though he isn't sure until the lab reports from where he sent them return."

"Dammit! I knew it, I goddamn knew it!" The Volturi's usual ammo was to use _Semtex_ since the key ingredients, HMX and RDX that comprised this explosive, were amongst the most powerful used in militaries today. I could only guess where they got it. "We have to act fast before the fucking V's could think of something more."

"That was why I need to go back to Chicago, Edward." I was nodding my head furiously as I silently planned.

"J, you have to leave now. Wait for me there. I'll follow as soon as I get this mess settled here." He gave me a salute and got his phone out, quickly ignoring me as he started giving orders. I didn't wait for him because he knew what he needed to do.

I also started calling people, giving them instructions after instructions, which made me feel a little better. All I needed to do was wait for Bella to arrive.

I was prepping myself on what her reaction would be. I knew she would be pissed at me, but she would get over it. I hoped she would, or I would be a dead man. I would certainly know when she arrived in a couple of hours.

The time went by so fast, the next thing I knew I was staring at Bella's brown eyes. My excitement on seeing her quickly changed into agitation because she was looking at me with something more than anger. I knew she would be pissed but I wasn't expecting the hate. Her face was full of hatred and I couldn't understand why. This wasn't what I had expected from her and it fucking worried me.

In my attempt to comfort her, I tried to pull her to me but she jerked away. My heart started racing because I knew this wasn't good. Before I knew it, I felt a sting on my face and realized that she had slapped me.

"What the hell?" I asked, surprised at what she just did.

"Stay away from me, Edward," she hissed as she started walking. She called me Edward. That was not a good sign. I tried to grab her arm but once again she jerked it away. "You fucking lied to me! I hate you!"

I knew I lied by omission but I didn't really understand the hate she was showing right now. It wasn't as if what happened to Rosalie was my fault. "Babygirl, I didn't tell you because-"

"Stop!" she yelled so loud, her voice resonated through the hallway. I knew we were now attracting the attention of people in the hospital, so I grabbed her arm forcefully, ignoring her protests as I pulled her to one corner.

"Dammit, Bella! What's your deal?" I was becoming irritated with her, but the murderous scowl she was throwing my way was stressing me. I didn't want to lose her just because of that simple fucking lie. "I needed to know what happened here before I informed you. I knew you'd freak out."

"Just for the fucking record, I'm pissed at you not only because you didn't tell me the truth earlier…" she said through gritted teeth as she started jabbing on my chest with her fingers "…but because you didn't hold up to your promise!"

"What are you talking about?" My agitation was increasing as the minutes passed. It didn't help that I couldn't understand what she was yapping about.

"Remember, I asked you to take care of my family before I married you? Huh?" she hissed, as her nose flared in anger. "You specifically promised to protect Emmett and Rose! But what the fuck happened? Rose is in the hospital!" She was shrieking now, and I was afraid we would be thrown out of the hospital. "You promised! You fucking promised!"

I tried to put my arms around her but she pushed me away angrily as she panted, her eyes furiously staring at me. "Get away! You fucking liar, I hate you!" She started walking but stopped then turned to me. My heart almost stopped with what she said next.

"Just hope nothing bad will happen to Rose, or I'll never ever forgive you, Edward. I swear!" With that she left me there staring after her in confusion. I raised my hand to my hair and pulled the strands in frustration.

"Fuck!" Bella was fucking crazy!

* * *

**Okay, leave some love people. You know you want to. *waggles eyebrow* - (Tygs, if you see this...I just had to borrow your fave expression. Lmao).**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

Hey, hey!

Sorry for the long wait again. Anyway, I'm here now...that's the important thing. *smiles wide*

Thank you to**Thaigher lillie **for going over this chapter. All mistakes are still mine, however.

This is a short one, but I do hope you like it. The next chapters are going to be short, not that the previous ones were long, but they'll be shorter than they usually were. I tend to be distracted easily when I write, that's why.

Don't worry, **shorter chapters = faster update. I promise!**

Anywho, here yah all go.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

**BPOV**

I looked at my watch, confirming it was nine o' clock in the evening. Vicky was cursing beside me, mumbling _Edward would fucking kill me _over and over again. Ignoring her grouchiness, I craned my neck to see whether the car she had mentioned was in sight.

I clutched the coat closer to me in an attempt to conceal the shiver that coursed through my body, and it had nothing to do with the cool night air. Victoria was chain-smoking beside me and I even took a couple of puffs from her cigarette to calm my nerves. We definitely were attracting some attention, the kind I didn't want. Men were ogling and sending malicious stares our way, but we needed to make sure our target was here.

Edward would fucking die if he knew what I was going to do. However, I was too pissed at him to really fucking care. I needed to do something, anything to get my mind off what happened. Rosalie was still unconscious in the hospital and Emmett was a raging lunatic awaiting news on Rose. I couldn't just sit and do the same.

The worst part about the accident was they were pregnant. They had lost the baby. The same baby they had wanted since they started their lives together. Rosalie had told me just a week ago and she was so fucking ecstatic, I could hear her excitement and enthusiasm over the phone. Thinking about it made my throat constrict. The anger resurfaced and I closed my eyes so I wouldn't cry.

Edward had forgotten to take care of my family. The one thing I had asked of him and the only thing he didn't do. I knew it was irrational of me to blame this all on him, but he was the easiest target for my anger. Besides, he fucking promised me!

The sound of a car snapped me from my reverie. There it was, the red _Camaro._ The car parked and a lean short man got out. "_So this is Snake_," I thought. He headed straight to the bar at the corner of the street.

We followed after making sure Snake was inside the bar for a full fifteen minutes. I plumped my red wig on, turning my head towards Vicky for a sign I looked my part. I shrugged off the coat and revealed the sheer and very short dress I was wearing. "Do I look okay?"

She raked her eyes all over me appraisingly and I almost kicked her ass for her blatant disrespect. I was still the Boss' wife, so she should at least keep her fucking lust away from me. However, this wasn't the right time to have an argument over petty things such as her ogling me. I held my tongue and just cocked an eyebrow at her, waiting for her assessment.

She smirked as she said, "You look fucking fantastic, doll." _Good then_. My disguise was working if she was looking at me like that. I threw my coat at her and adjusted my boobs so it looked as if they were bigger than they really were with the very small fabric covering it. I just hoped this would make Snake look, enough to serve as a distraction while Vicky made her move.

Stepping inside the bar, I could smell the smoke of cigarettes mixed with the distinguishable smell of weed. Vicky was beside me in a second and we made our way together towards the bar. It was weekend so the bar was full. As we pushed through the throng of people, I couldn't help notice the men leering. This shouldn't be hard, but Snake was one tough motherfucker to crack.

_Dammit! _Some men were moving towards us and it was only a matter of time before one would start hitting on either one of us. We didn't need that kind of distraction. We needed to get to that asshole Snake.

I suddenly felt nervous. I never did anything like this without Emmett, but this was a necessity, so I ignored the sickness inside my stomach. I smiled at nobody in particular while I chewed the gum I had just popped inside my mouth. We saw Snake at one corner of the bar. Luckily, the seats beside him were vacant and we settled ourselves on both sides of him.

"Hey there, slugger. Nice to see you here again," Vicky said sultrily. She did her best to engage him in conversation. While they were talking – well, she was talking and he listened, I ordered a beer and thought on how I came to be here.

Edward and Vicky were talking last night about a visit here. I happened to overhear them, and I was determined to invite myself to the party. I wanted to see Snake personally, wanting to know who was an accessory to my father's murder. Even though I didn't have proof he had something to do with it, I had a feeling he had some connection to Charlie's death. After Edward left the hotel, I confronted Vicky and insisted she bring me. She was adamant to do just the opposite and leave me behind, but I threatened to make a visit to Snake alone if she didn't agree. After all, I now knew the name of the bar Snake frequented. She had no choice but to let me tag along.

I chanced a glance towards Vicky and Snake and saw they were still chatting. She soon remembered to introduce me. She did and I was a _friend_ who worked with her. That meant I was just another stripper to him.

I gave him a leery smile, like I was interested in him too, just like Vicky was. However, the way he appraised my body gave me the creeps. The funny thing about this short exchange was he seemed to be interested in me as well. This was a surprising development since Vicky had tried everything to seduce him. Maybe he was into redheads. If we knew this information before, Vicky would have changed her hair coloring from the blond she was sporting back to her original red color. The important thing right this moment was, Snake was showing interest towards me and we should be lucky that he was. The wig may not even be a factor. Who knew?

I checked Vicky and tried to communicate with her through my eyes. We needed to improvise. This was our chance. She shook her head, disagreeing with what I was supposed to do. To hell with her!

Snake was still fucking ogling me, and my false smile widened. I chewed the gum as his gaze lingered on my breasts and winked at him when I finally caught his eye. "Like what you see, honey?"

He had the gall to blush, and I wanted to smack him. Leaning closer, I tried not to inhale the sweaty smell that was his and whispered, "I'm available, you know."

Let him take that however he wanted. I gave him the opportunity to make an opening, and if he really was interested he would make a move. I was hoping he would.

He licked his lips, as if I was something mouthwatering. He gave me a smile and I knew I got him.

"You have the most mesmerizing blue eyes," he said and I grinned. _Yeah, I used contacts_. I was incognito.

"Yeah, I know. Every one says that about me, Hun." I leaned on the counter, making sure my breasts were jutting out like they were supposed to.

Victoria was eyeing our exchange; she looked apprehensive and curious at the same time. I knew however, that when Edward would learn what we were doing we were both dead. Vicky would definitely get the burnt of his wrath since she was supposed to keep me away from harm.

Thoughts of Edward were distracting me, and I needed my full concentration for this filthy disgusting man in front of me. I smiled again and moved closer to Snake.

I tried to focus on the task at hand, rather on what would be the outcome of this charade.

xxxxxxxxxx

He was nuzzling my neck, and when he made one long lick I fought the urge to shudder. Vicky caught my eye, sending a warning that I should be careful. I was wishing that Snake's actions toward me were progress; since he had never shown any interest at any female we had thrown his way before. If we failed again at this then Vicky and I were screwed. We were already both fucked; Edward would go ballistic when he knew I was here. I didn't plan on telling him that somebody's hands were on me, though, but I doubted it would be kept secret from him.

I pushed Snake away, needing some fucking space. He smelled awful but I had to stay in character and must show him I liked his attention. He was becoming too handsy so I swatted his hands flirtatiously. "That's enough, lover boy. You already attacked my neck, no need to go any further than that."

He looked irritated when I dodged his lips and escaped his arms. "Jessica!" he yelled after me. Yeah, that was the name I gave him. I turned and gave him a _come and get me_ look.

"Money first," I said nasally, and opened my hand towards him, waiting for him to pay. I needed to play the part I was a whore who was also interested in the fucking money. He started to put some bills on my hand but I leaned forward and whispered the amount higher than what he was putting on my hand. I stepped back and his forehead furrowed, like he was debating whether I was worth that kind of money. He raked his gaze on my curves, and I moved, sliding my free hand to squeeze my boob. He better fucking decide I was worth it.

I was about to make a snarky comment when he pulled a few more bills and gave it to me.

"That's right, handsome. I'm so fucking worth your money," I said smugly. "You're going to get fucked like you never did before."

He started pulling me toward the exit, clearly excited and impatient to get on with _our_ night.

"Wait there, sugar. I just need to go say some few words with my bitch over there. I need a little bit of prepping before, you know," I purred and smiled seductively, wagging my eyebrows, hoping he would let me go. He did, and I winked.

Victoria was playing it cool, and I was thoroughly grateful she was the fucking professional here. She gave a smile and a nod to Snake as I approached, making him believe she agreed on this union. She turned to me, and she was trying hard not to show her worry. Snake might still be observing us.

"Shit, Bella. This wasn't supposed to fucking happen," she said seriously. "I was the one tasked to lure him into bed."

"Oh, shut up! Just give me the coke and the serum," I muttered, trying not to sound nervous about what this night would entail us.

"Goddamit, Boss will fucking kill me," she hissed, but she pulled out the powder and handed it to me. The syringe with the truth serum was discreetly put in my hand, and I slid it inside my purse. We had to import this truth serum from Russia. It was known as SP-117 or something like that there.

"Look at me, Vicky. It's not the fucking time to fight," I reasoned and inserted the white powder inside my bra. "Just remember to follow us."

She nodded, and smiled sarcastically at me. I started to turn when I felt her hand on my wrist.

"Be careful out there, Bella. Or Boss will have my head."

"Yes. Just do your job, okay?" I snapped; the pressure was getting to me and I was becoming agitated. I walked back to Snake and he was looking at me with a frown.

"What took you so long?" he snapped and pulled me by the waist.

"Oh, I asked her for some coke. It'll help us relax, you know." I showed him the first grade packet of coke I had tucked inside my bra, so he had to believe I wasn't going to fuck him over.

His mouth widened into a grin, and I felt fucking smug about the thought of making him suffer later.

_Let the fucking games begin. _

It seemed that this particular club had some rooms upstairs available to cater to the patrons. It looked like Snake was bringing me there. I was thinking over about my non-existent plan and wondered how I would get away from this fuckery tonight.

As he ushered me to a staircase, I felt a sudden chill ran past me, and I turned.

I almost gasped out loud. If not for Snake's hand holding my waist, I would have. I bit my lip, so I wouldn't make any sound to alert him. He started to turn his head, but I distracted him by playing with his jaw.

"Oh, you ready to play, aren't you," he said gruffly, as he pulled me closer.

My heart was thundering against my chest in agitation, and I sneaked a peek again to where Edward was standing. He looked murderous. I could see the muscles of his jaw clenched, and I knew he was angry. Furious.

I held Edward's eyes for a few seconds, wishing I could read what he was thinking.

The last thing I saw before Snake pulled me up with him was Edward striding furiously toward us.

_Shit, shit!_

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**See, it wasn't so bad for a 2T+ word chapter. *grins* **

**So, whadya think about this short thing?**

If you don't know yet, I have posted a new story. Yeah, I'm starting a new one since my other story **IS** is concluding soon. If you're interested, go to my profile and click on the link for _'**Slither'**. See yah, or not.__ =)_


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

To**Thaigher lillie **and ******Skyebella98, **a big thank you for going over this. They prettify my chapters, that's why I flove them! =)

**Mention of drug use. You are warned.**

Here goes another crazy one.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

**EPOV**

I was fucking livid.

"Son of a bitch!" I cursed as I purposely strode towards where I just saw Bella. I couldn't believe that asshole's hands were all over her. _How could she even allow that?_ I was pushing everyone that blocked my way, enraged that these people were slowing me down.

I heard Marcus beside me, but I ignored him. I was suddenly pulled backwards and I growled. Victoria tightened her hold on my arm and I hissed.

"Edward…Boss…I know you're angry," she started; her eyes were pleading with me. "But Bella's our only chance to break Snake."

"Fuck that!" I hissed angrily. My vision was clouding; my rage was slowly consuming me.

"No one touches Bella! I'll fucking kill him myself." I yanked her arm away and started walking toward the staircase again. "Let me go, Victoria, or you'll regret having your hands on me!"

"Boss, if I could trade places with her, I would," Vicky explained frantically, still tagging on my sleeve. It was the first time I ever saw her like this - rattled and desperate. "Snake never shown interest to anybody, not until Bella. Please, just give her a few minutes. I'll stand outside their room to guard, just in case he planned something more."

She was really pushing her luck, and I was not in the mood to indulge her. However, whenever it came to Bella, I was always so irrational and short tempered than I usually was. This was no exception.

"Trust me on this," Vicky reiterated. Her words were warring with the emotions inside me. I needed to calm down before I made a decision.

"Fuck!" I growled, running my hand through my unruly hair.

"Please." Her eyes were pleading. I clenched my fists so hard; my nails were digging into the skin.

"I give you thirty minutes. If she's not out of there, I'll get her myself!" I kicked the chair near me, and started to walk out, but called on Vicky, who strode toward the staircase.

"Vicky, if something happens to her, I'll have your head for it."

I saw a flicker of fear in her eyes, but she masked it away quickly. She nodded before she turned and climbed the steps to where Snake and Bella were. Her only job right now was to make sure my wife stayed safe. That was it. Either Bella came out of this unharmed, or Victoria wouldn't live to see the next twenty-four hours.

I walked toward the exit reluctantly with Marcus following behind me. Waiting in the car would be the best option for me right now. I didn't want to do anything stupid like barging into the room and steal Bella away, especially if she was the only solution to get to Snake. Even if it was taking me a whole lot of control not to kill that son of a bitch Snake. Thinking about what they were doing was really pissing me off.

I looked down at my watch. _Twenty-seven minutes more before I'll throttle that beautiful neck of hers_.

xxxxxxxxxx

**BPOV**

The two packets of white powder, one of which was definitely cocaine, were in my hand. I opened the one that contained the energy powder and started to make a single line on the small mirror Snake had provided. I snorted the powder, and made the impression that what I just inhaled was the pure grade-A coke I had promised him, and not just powder that contained caffeine and other stimulant. Then I proceeded to prepare three lines of the pure cocaine for Snake, making sure I had cleaned the glass mirror prior to putting the chopped up powder on it.

I turned my gaze on him. My heart was thundering against my chest, and I hoped to God he didn't see my nervousness. He was laying on top of the bed with only his pants now. He had discarded his shirt the moment we came inside the room. He was hairy, and I shuddered to think what he looked like naked.

"You're so pretty!" he said smugly, and touched his crotch. I tried not to balk at that, but instead I gave him a flirty smile. I wiped my sweaty hands on my dress, hoping I would get myself in control when Snake came near me. Thoughts of Edward were still lingering at the back of my head, knowing he might bust in on us anytime. Frankly speaking, I wasn't really sure if I wanted Edward to come and get me, or not. I just wanted to get this over and done with. I was in a very dangerous situation, I was aware of that. If I was being truthful to myself, I would rather Vicky or Edward deal with this asshole than I would, but having them bust in here now would definitely fuck this whole operation. I was here and I would goddamn deliver what I was set out to do – to make Snake confess about Charlie's killing.

"You're taking too long," I heard Snake say. "I'm already so horny for you, baby. I don't think I can wait." I was still standing beside the table when I felt his arm pull me backwards toward the bed, and I yelped. His hands were all over me. I could feel goose bumps break over my skin and I hoped he would think it was because he sexually affected me. _Quite the opposite, actually_. I forced myself to giggle, because that was the normal reaction of any girl flirting.

"Stop, stop!"

"What now?" Snake asked irritated. His hold on me didn't loosen; his hands were roaming around freely, as if he had a right to do so. The urge to punch him in the face was getting great, but I needed to do this so I reined it in. Instead, I wiggled my ass on his erection that was poking me and purred, "You have to take a hit, slugger. Or that coke would be a waste. It'll give us a good time, I promise."

He grunted before releasing me reluctantly. I quickly dislodged from him, trying so hard not to rub the skin where he touched. I was feeling so fucking dirty all of a sudden. I wanted to puke, but there was a lot riding on me here. Throwing up all the contents of my stomach wasn't the answer. I took a long, deep breath in the hopes I could control myself again.

I just stared as Snake snorted the coke. The looks in his face meant he had enjoyed it all. Good. Vicky said the coke would have the desired effect she needed especially when combined with the truth serum.

I had asked Victoria why it had taken too long for her to use the serum. There was something more potent with the ones she had to import from Russia. It had taken months for her to procure the particular truth serum she knew would work on Snake.

"Jessica, you're lost in your thought again," Snake said, and it took me a little while to register that he was talking to me. I grinned like a Cheshire cat should.

"I was dreaming about what you would do to me," I purred slowly, hoping I was doing a good job enticing him to get close. He grinned and lunged for me.

We fell on the bed, and I giggled, making sure I was faking it right. He started kissing my neck again, and I was too occupied to keep his lips away from mine, that I wasn't aware he was now fondling my breasts. My mouth soured, and I felt my stomach react; the food I had ingested earlier was threatening to come back up. I was on the edge of panic. I wiggled and pushed him, trying to get some air, but Snake thought it was my way of teasing him, so he pushed his hips against me, and his erection rubbed my stomach.

He was mumbling shit. "Ohh, baby, you're gonna get so fucked by my cock! Can you feel that fucking snake below? It's a motherfucking monster! I assure you would be screaming for more in just a minute." My mouth was so dry and my chest was heaving. His hands were all over me, and I tried not to think about it too much. Instead, I tried to take long deep breaths, just so I could breathe and not let the panic attack overwhelm me.

"Stop moving, you bitch!" he yelled so suddenly. He grabbed my hair, and moved my head aside, further exposing my neck as well as the swells of my breasts. It was a wonder why my breasts hadn't spilled over the scrap of cloth covering it.

"You smell so good!" He leaned down and licked from my shoulder to my skin. I couldn't help the shudder that escaped me.

"You like that don't you? I told you you're gonna be fucking moaning my name in a minute!" He said grinning, misinterpreting my shudder for one of desire. I nodded, because that was all I could do. I couldn't trust myself to speak, or I might scream.

"Oh, God!" He was grinding against me and I pushed him hard, heaving as I tried so hard not to puke in bed.

"I said to fucking stop moving!" I knew the moment the coke was getting into his system because he was mumbling shit and he was becoming violent. I moved my hand on the bed, in the hopes to find my purse, which I left on top of the bed purposely.

Feeling through the cold sheet, I found the leather and slowly slid my hand inside, careful not to attract Snakes' attention to what I was doing. He never knew what hit him. I plunged the syringe on his bicep, hoping it would quickly work.

"Shit! You bitch! What the hell did you do?" he yelled furiously. I scrambled to get up, knowing I wouldn't be able to defend myself lying down.

His eyes were so dark, but I knew from the way it was dilated, that the coke together with the serum was working its magic. He was squinting his eyes; the lights in the room were blinding him. He was so angry; his fists were clenched beside him. He could easily do some bodily harm toward me. Even though he was short, he was a lot stronger than I was.

He picked up the syringe on the floor and inspected it.

"What the hell did you inject me with?" he hissed, as he advanced toward me. He was staggering, and he shook his head, as if to clear it. "Who the fuck are you? Did you think you could get away with it, huh?" His maniacal laugh sent shivers all over me.

I screamed when he lunged at me, at the same time I heard something crash down. He toppled over me, and his hands were on my neck. He didn't get to do much of anything because he was peeled away from me.

Snake was screaming so loud, I was afraid the cops would be called any time soon. Then there was silence. I saw Snake on the floor unconscious. I could hear Vicky and Seth talking, but I wasn't listening much to what they were saying. I was shaking so much, my legs would surely give out on me in any moment. I felt an arm wrap around me, and saw Marcus was leading me outside. I followed him, grateful for his support. I was frantically looking for Edward, but Marcus informed me he was waiting in the car.

"Vicky and Seth will take care of Snake, Bella," Marcus said, still ushering me toward the exit. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, still trembling. He saw that I was still so scantily clad, so he removed his jacket and put it over me. I gave him a small smile in return, and held the denim close to me.

Once outside, I was ushered inside the black SUV where I knew Edward would be waiting. What I saw inside wasn't what I expected. He looked angry, but I could see his eyes glistening, and wondered if he cried.

He grabbed me to him, even before I could compose myself.

"Oh, God, Babygirl. Don't you ever do that to me ever again!" he yelled, his arms wound tightly around me. I hugged him back; my body was still shaking from the aftermath of what I just did.

"Promise me!" he tilted my chin upwards with a finger, his eyes boring into me, pleading. "I can't lose you!"

I nodded, and buried my face in his chest.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, feeling safe in his arms. I remembered Snake's hands on me and I shuddered.

"Please," I begged.

"What is it, Bella?" Edward's tone was desperate. He looked so worried; I wanted to cry for putting him in this position. "Tell me and I'll goddamn do it."

"Please," I croaked, my throat so dry from earlier. I raised my eyes to him, begging.

"I need to forget, baby. Fuck me here," I said forcefully, determined to get my way. It was the only thing that would placate me. "I don't want his hands to be the last to have touched me."

His eyes clouded with anger briefly, but he pushed it away. I tired to smile, wishing I could go back and not have Snake within a mile within me.

Edward captured my mouth in his. He effectively made me forget all except my desire for him.

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**Thank you for reading. Send me some love. ;D**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

To**Thaigher lillie **and ******Skyebella98, **thank you for fixing all my mistakes. You guys are the best! ;)

3, 2, 1...and...

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**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

**EPOV**

I had just woken up from a very satisfying sleep. Although now I was sated, my muscles were still stiff from last night. I slowly removed my hand around Bella's waist, careful not to disturb her. However, she turned around to face me before I could even fully detach myself from her and hitched her leg around my waist, positioning my morning wood directly against her pussy.

I groaned, feeling my sore cock stir to life because of her proximity. It was even a miracle it could still harden and stand erect. We fucked and fucked and cuddled a little bit…and then fucked some more. That was all I could remember after we left the bar.

Bella had worn me out last night; her hand, mouth and pussy made sure I was more than satisfied. I wasn't complaining, because truthfully I would love a night of good fucking than anything else, but Bella had more stamina than she usually does for sex, and for the first time I couldn't keep up. Maybe it was because of the energy powder she had inhaled, or the fact that she wanted to forget all about Snake that made her so sex-starved.

I stayed still, making sure Bella was still asleep. She needed the rest. I knew her interaction with Snake had taken a toll on her. Truthfully, it had scared me so much I cried. I wasn't even ashamed to admit it. Losing Bella wasn't an option to me. That was why I had insisted for the tracking device, which was how I had found her in the first place. Yesterday was the first time I had used it to check on her location. She would be pissed if she found out, but I didn't care. She would rage, of that I was certain, but I wouldn't apologize for using it to make sure she was safe.

Bella snuggled closer, her warmth engulfing me. I was too comfortable in our little position, and I wanted nothing but to stay where I was. I knew I had to put some distance between us though, even for just a few hours. I was dangerously on the verge of slipping inside her again, and it wouldn't do either of us any good. She needed her rest after that marathon sex we had. It had been a tiring twenty-four hours, but I was certain we hadn't seen the last of what Snake did to my Bella.

The thought of the fucker made me angry. I could feel my jaw tighten, and I wanted so badly to torture him myself. However much the desire to do that, Bella was my priority. My wife became so needy of my attention after that incident; I couldn't leave her. Vicky was the one who was in-charge of getting information from him, and I knew she wouldn't disappoint. Well, she couldn't fail in making Snake _talk_. I didn't give her the option to do that. Bella did her job, so the least Victoria could do was make the fucker tell her what he knew. She should have all the information I wanted when she was through with him, or there was hell to pay.

I finally succeeded pulling away from Bella without rousing her, and took a much-needed shower. The hot water that touched my skin was a relief to my tired muscles, but I didn't linger long to enjoy it. I needed to make some calls before Bella woke up.

Two hours and a couple of phone calls made, I was irritated as usual. Jasper didn't have any new leads on who caused the destruction to the Swan's mansion, the police were snooping all over, and on top of it all Jacob was missing. Things weren't going my way, and I didn't like it. I didn't like it one fucking bit. Vicky was still working on Snake, but she assured me she would have some information for me at the end of the day. _I am going to kill that son of a bitch myself if he doesn't talk soon. _

Knowing there wasn't much I could do as of now, I decided to check on Bella. She was probably hungry by now, and I needed to nourish her.

Bella was awake, sitting plopped against a pillow. She looked irritated. Her beautiful eyebrows squished together in a frown.

"You're awake," I said, sitting beside her on the bed.

"And you're not here with me," she answered in a pout. The silk blanket was covering her tits, and her thighs were peaking from under the blanket. She looked so inviting with her messy hair and swollen lips. I was disappointed I couldn't see her naked. I know I couldn't fuck anymore after last night, but it didn't mean I didn't want to see her all sexy and bare for me.

I pulled the sheets down, revealing her wonderful tits to me. Her nipples quickly puckered in response to the cold air in the room. She smiled seductively, and I was certain I knew what ran through that little head of hers.

"Baby, we need to talk," I said, nipping her intention of continuing where we left off last night in the bud. She pouted and huffed.

I scooted towards her and whispered, "We need to do this, Bella."

She gave me an irritated look as I traced my knuckles over her cheek. She leaned closer, and then she closed her eyes.

"I don't want to," she protested like a little child.

"Bella, you really need to fucking tell me what happened," I said sharply. She needed to understand the gravity of what had happened yesterday, so she wouldn't allow herself to be in that situation ever again.

"Do I have to?" she questioned. She opened her eyes, and I could see all the panic and disgust reflecting in them. I pulled her to me, wanting to comfort and make her feel better. She moved and slowly straddled me. She arranged the blanket so we were both under it, her naked tits were jiggling, and my attention was suddenly focused on them. It was then I saw all of the marks on her body. I groaned, feeling guilty all of a sudden. The love bites and bruises on her skin just confirmed how rough I was with her last night, and I didn't even realize it. She should have told me something.

I traced a bruise under her left breast. "I'm sorry," I said, staring at her. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay, Mase," she answered. "These bruises are nothing, I promise. I loved everything that we did last night." She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and nuzzled my neck.

"Are you sure?" I felt her nod, and I knew it was all the confirmation she gave me. We remained sitting enveloped in each other for a few minutes before I decided I couldn't take avoiding the subject any longer.

"Babygirl, tell me," I urged, wanting all the details to her encounter with Snake.

Reluctantly, she told me the whole nightmare in that little room. Every detail she told me just spewed my anger, but I reined it in. She needed me, and I couldn't just rush off to go and take my anger out on Snake, my focus was solely on her well being. Though, I had to remind myself throughout the conversation that she was now safe here with me, and that was all that mattered.

"Look at me, Bella," I said, tilting her chin. "I can't tell you what to do, I know that. You're as stubborn as a mule…but please don't ever do that again. Do you understand me? You almost jeopardized all of our safety."

She blinked, looking confused all of a sudden. "What do you mean, Mase?"

"Well, do you think it would have been quiet if I got my hands on him?" I asked. She gasped, fully understanding what I meant. "If I went to get you, I would have probably killed him…and people would have noticed. It wouldn't have been quiet. I would've torn his body into pieces, and I would love for everyone to see me do that to him. The police would have definitely been involved, and that's something we didn't want. They would have something over me, and I couldn't have that. It was amazing I was able to control myself!"

"Oh my God!" she said, tightening her hands on me.

"We were lucky this time. But don't test my patience…okay, Baby? Because I only have very little control of myself when it comes to you and your safety."

She nodded, her eyes suddenly wet with tears. She started to sob and murmured, 'I'm sorry,' repeatedly.

"Shhh, it's over now. Just promise me you'll talk to me about shit like this," I said again, not wanting her to forget the gravity of what she did.

"Yes, I promise," she finally whispered, as her face nuzzled into my neck. Her deep breaths tickled my skin, and I sighed. I loved being this close to her. I rubbed my hand over her naked back, and softly said in her ear, "Let me take care of you, babygirl."

She raised her head and smiled. I leaned down to kiss her before slowly raising myself from the bed, carrying her with me. She giggled, and removed the blanket over our heads, allowing me to finally see where I was walking.

I led us to the ensuite bathroom and carefully placed her down. She dropped the blanket slowly and held my hand as she led me to the glass door of the shower. I had finished my shower earlier, but I wasn't about to deny her this. I helped her shampoo her hair, loving the feel of her long locks against my hands. She was trying to engage me in some make-out session, but I successfully ignored her. I needed to recuperate from last night, and gain some strength and stamina before fucking again. Besides, I loved just being with her like this. I lathered up the soap and quickly cleaned her from head to toe. When I reached her thighs, I couldn't help swipe my fingers along her folds. She was wet alright, and I chuckled.

"Mase, please," Bella pleaded.

"Not now, babe. You're sore, and I don't want to hurt you," I said, rubbing the soap on her back.

She pouted, and I stopped what I was doing. I touched her nose with my soapy finger before leaning forward to touch her forehead against mine. "I promise to make it up to you…tonight. Just no penetration, okay?"

She bit her lip, before nodding. She looked so fucking cute, and I leaned down to give her a peck on the lips. If I didn't feel raw myself I would take her up on her offer. My fucking dick had a different opinion than my brain, and was standing full and erect.

Bella leaned upwards and kissed me, clearly not satisfied with that small kiss. Then she pulled away and looked down at my shaft, smirking.

"Oh Baby, what is this?" she asked, her smile mischievous. She then took my turgid length in her small hands, and started pumping. I moaned, loving the feel of her hands around my erection.

When sanity returned, I pushed her hands away. I leaned down and whispered, "You know I always want you, Babygirl. It's just that, I'm so tired after the fucking we did last night."

She looked at me under her lashes, biting her lips. _Fuck!_ She was killing me.

"Do you want me to blow you? I can do that," she said, her cheeks deepening into a smile. She started to move her hands toward my shaft again, but I quickly grabbed it. Holding it tightly between my hands. I kissed her wrist, and then reiterated, "Tonight, baby. I promise!"

She chuckled then gave me another kiss. "Okay."

She turned and I slapped her ass. She yelped, quickly leaving the stall. I was left behind to finish with my shower.

xxxxxxxxxxx

"Em, how is she?" Bella asked. We arrived at the hospital half an hour after Emmett had called Bella, informing her that Rose had woken up.

"I told her about the baby, Bella," Emmett said, his voice held all the anguish he was feeling. She moved forward and took his hands in hers. "Oh God, she's so fucking depressed about it." Emmett looked as if he was going to cry.

"Shit, I should have been here when you told her."

"No, I needed to do it myself," Emmett told her dejectedly. I could feel Emmett's pain. I had learned just a few hours ago about the pregnancy, and Bella was also depressed about the whole thing. I could empathize with Emmett and Rose. If it happened to Bella and me, I would search high and low for the fucker who was responsible for the blast. Yes, the same fucking blast I had totally forgotten until this morning because of that incident with Bella and Snake. Jasper was still on it, since Emmett wasn't capable of doing the investigation himself.

I saw Bella moving toward the hallway that led to the private rooms, but Emmett pulled her hand, stopping her in her tracks. "Bells, she's sleeping. Can you just…just go to her later? Wait an hour or so."

Bella seemed to ponder on what her brother had said. She looked as if she wanted to argue, but eventually she agreed. One look at Emmett's face and you would know how much he was hurting. It was clear he needed his sister as much as Bella needed to go to her best friend's side. Bella caught on quickly to Emmett's apparent need for her, and stood by his side. They needed to talk, and it was my cue to say goodbye.

"Babygirl, I'll come back for you, okay?" I said. She removed her hand from holding Emmett's and came forward, encircling her arms on my waist when she came close. "I need to talk to Jasper about something. He called and informed me he needed to meet with me in an hour."

"What for, Mase?" she asked, her brows furrowed.

"I'm not sure, babe. But I think he has some information on what really happened to your house," I told her truthfully. Jasper wasn't too clear on what information he had, just that he needed to talk to me as soon as possible.

"I want to go with you," she said.

"No, babe. Em needs you."

"I want to go," she persisted. "I want to know everything. Did you hear anything from Snake?" She looked so hopeful, and I almost gave in to her.

"I'll tell you about it when I do hear from Vicky. She hasn't called me yet, so most likely they don't have anything on him yet. But don't worry, babe, when I do you'll be the first to know."

"You promise?" she asked.

"Yes, I promise," I said. I had told her a few weeks ago I would tell her everything…that I would not keep any secrets from her, and I intend to keep that promise this time. I leaned forward to kiss her then gave a nod to Emmett before I exited the hospital.

I fished out my phone from my back pockets before I slid inside the waiting SUV. I grinned when I saw a text message. It was from Vicky. Snake was dead.

I slumped back on my seat, satisfied that things were starting to roll. _Damn, this day is looking good. _

Now to see Vicky and get what information she grilled from that asshole.

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**Yeah, it's short...I know. I already mentioned the length of my chapters and the reason behind it before, so please don't whine about it anymore.**

**Snake is dead...and the rollercoaster ride is just halfway through.**

**PM/tweet me if you have any questions. For those readers who reviewed on the previous chapters and had their PM disabled, please note I can't respond to any of your messages.**

**O_O **


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

******Skyebella98 **helped me with this chapter. She's great, and I flove her.

I had this chapter with me for over three weeks now. I was dissatisfied with it, and kept on revising it. Well, I decided to post it now, or I never will.

So here it is.

xxxxxxxxxx

**Terms:**

**Enforcer **– a person who threatens, maims, or kills someone who doesn't cooperate with Family rules or deals.

**On the pad** - Designation for a law enforcement officer who is paid by the underworld to ignore certain criminal activity.

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**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

**EPOV**

I was annoyed, but I didn't show it to the people inside this room. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of knowing they affected me. Instead, I acted indifferent to everything that came out of their mouths. I would raise an eyebrow once in a while, but not anything more than that.

Seattle's Chief of Police was sitting across from us in his chair, acting so friendly and cordial towards Jasper and me. He was cocky, being the authority in this city, but he was also smart enough not to piss me off. He even invited us into his office instead of the interrogation room.

"I was just wondering, Chief Burns, why it took you so long to interview one of the family members? The blast happened almost four days ago. I have first-hand knowledge that nobody from your department talked to one of the Swans," I said, shifting so I was now leaning backwards on the couch.

If he was uncomfortable with my questions, he didn't show it. He even smiled. _Sucker_.

"We didn't see the need to inconvenience Mr. Swan, especially since his wife is in the hospital." He looked concerned about Bella's family. He even gave us a crooked smile. I knew better_._ Either he was on Emmett's pad, or he was scared of the consequences of hauling Emmett's ass over here for an interview.

"Hmm…interesting." I cocked my brow in challenge, and gave him a knowing look.

He coughed, as if something was caught in his throat. He looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. If they weren't incompetent at their jobs, they were being paid to ignore all illegal transactions within the city. That could only be the reason why they weren't on Emmett's ass, snooping and trying to find ways to bring down the Swan unit. Or maybe they were simply waiting for the feds job to do it.

_These cops are really pathetic scumbags_. I shifted my gaze to Jacob, who was in the same room with one other policeman. These two were responsible for me being here in their station. Black had called Jasper an hour ago, informing us we needed to come in to answer some questions.

Not only did I think it was a ridiculous idea to come here, but I thought it was crazy stupid. I had lots of things I needed to handle, and going to a police station wasn't on my agenda for the day. I had to talk to Jasper and Vicky about more important things. Black's second call made me decide to come in and visit the Seattle precinct just because I could. I am a cocky bastard, I know. There was something amusing and exhilarating to know that my presence could stir some ruckus in the Seattle force. Some had be smug, thinking they had the upper hand in being able to bring me in a police station, while the others had been intrigued.

It was my first time to be inside a room full of cops. To be honest, I liked it! I had all eyes on me, just the way I wanted it. The same eyes I wanted to see me walk away from here unscathed. It would be my pleasure to momentarily entertain these fuckers

When the Chief had called Jasper and me to come inside his office, I saw the stupid smile on Black's face disappear. Coming here gave me more satisfaction than I thought it would.

"I'm assuming you got no leads as of now," I said confidently. They wouldn't have called us in if they did. I acted bored, because I was. They weren't as tough as they acted to be. Even their questions were stupid. I crossed my leg so my ankle rested on one knee. "Is that why you had requested for us to come? Because you guys couldn't keep up with your job?"

"Why, you son of a-" I heard the other guy, who looked as big as Emmett, say. Before he could even come forward, Burns cut him off with a few choice words. He scowled at me. I smirked, loving the way his face flushed angrily. Black held him off, putting his hand on his chest and saying something to placate him. I could see he wanted to come forward and hit me_. As if he could lay a finger on me. _His balls would be served in a platter first before that could happen. I had Jasper with me, and he wouldn't allow that to happen.

"Cullen, you shut your mouth!" Jacob hissed. He crossed his arms across his chest, and glared at me, ignoring the warning looks Burns was giving him.

"What if I don't?" I asked, taunting him. I saw his jaw clenched, and I laughed. He was suddenly in my face. I could see his irises, and his nostrils were flaring.

I wanted to piss him off more. I was having too much fun, and I wanted more. "You can't fucking touch me, Black. One hair out of place and I'll have my lawyers up your ass with several cases of harassment I could think of."

He snorted, and I smiled wickedly. After several seconds of just scowling at each other, with Burns doing nothing but look at us stupidly, Black backed down.

"Why the hell are we really here?" Jasper asked, and I turned my head towards him. He looked relaxed as ever, calm as fuck. I took a pack of cigarettes out from the inside pocket of my coat, and lit one. I was glad nobody complained about it.

"Aren't you supposed to be looking for more clues as to what happened a couple of days ago? You guys are fucking slacking, and look what happened…Rose and Emmett lost their baby." Jasper sounded condescending.

Jacob and his friend looked angrier now than earlier, but they stayed quiet. Even if Burns allowed them to act the way they did a few minutes ago, he was still their boss. I guess they needed to control themselves enough so their Chief wouldn't do something about their clear insubordination.

"Have you visited them at the hospital, Black?" Jasper asked Jacob. I had the satisfaction to see him squirm. "Emmett is your best buddy, isn't he? You should be a good friend and do that, you know." Jasper's drawl was fucking funny to me. Now he was the one intimidating Black, and I would lie if I said I didn't enjoy that.

"Asshole," I heard Black mutter, and I turned my head to face him. He had a scowl and was directing it towards me. I smirked, daring him to do something stupid in front of his boss. "Chief, don't you think we are coddling them?" Black asked, his eyes never leaving mine. He was assessing my reaction, but I just shrugged. He was no threat to me, and I could've easily killed him if I wanted to. If it wasn't for Bella, he would be nowhere near me today, looking like he won something just because he brought me here.

"Black, don't start with that shit again!" Burns said, clearly irritated with Jacob. It was so obvious he was trying to get into our good graces, but I knew he wouldn't admit it. I just had to appreciate Burns for bringing us into his office and serving us coffee while. _It was good to be a Cullen._ I smirked at that thought.

"We didn't ask Mr. Cullen and Mr. Whitlock here to intimidate them," Burns stated, glaring at Jacob, "but to ask a few questions on what they might know about what happened to the Swan's mansion. And since they've already confirmed they didn't have any idea about it, we would allow them to go on their merry way, and not inconvenience them any further." The way Burns spoke left no room for any argument from his officers.

A few more minutes inside the room, and we were allowed to go. Burns apologized again for the inconvenience, and I told him it was no big deal. Of course, I was friendly and cordial to him. There was a need to be that way, and I was a willing participant of this charade.

I was making my way out the door when Black blocked my way.

"I'm gonna fucking get you, Cullen," he hissed softly.

"For what?" I deadpanned. His scowl increased, and I had the sudden urge to punch him. Instead, I did the next best thing. I leaned closer so he was the only one who could hear me. "You better watch your back. I might just have a little more information on you than you have on me, asshole."

The shock that registered on his face was comical. I knew I had hit a nerve, and it was only a matter of time until I would get his pathetic loser ass. I had yet to talk to Victoria, but I had this nagging feeling Black would be starring in that little conversation we would have.

I chuckled as I pushed my way out, intentionally shoving him by the shoulder. I couldn't resist the urge of turning to smile back at Jacob before I exited the building. He looked scared and confused at the same time, but when he saw me looking, he straightened his expression into one of anger. I wondered where the fuck he had been for the last few days. He would have been somewhere away from the country for him to be undetected by my men.

_You'll fucking have your time. If I have all the information I got, I'll be coming for you, Black._

xxxxxxxxxxx

I was staring at the recording of what transpired between Vicky and Snake for the past twenty-four hours. It was gruesome, but I wanted to see how the motherfucker died. I had the satisfaction in seeing how Vicky cut off Snake's fingers one by one. I looked at the video, amazed at how he was able to stay alive for more than six hours under Victoria's hands. As the last scream died down, he slumped backward on his chair and his eyes permanently stayed open. I released a satisfied grunt at his inevitable fate.

He was dead. _About fucking time!_

I was glad Victoria had the sense to record it. I wanted to see how he suffered, especially after what he did to my wife. He deserved it.

"So boss, do you think I did alright?" Victoria asked, smirking. I always wondered how dubious and evil she was, and from the expression on her face, I knew she had loved every minute she had with Snake. I could feel the excess energy that came from torturing Snake radiate from her. Victoria was one hell of a voracious killer. Once she started, she wanted more, and clearly killing Snake didn't satiate her hunger. She didn't have any conscience and that made her lethal, making her an effective enforcer.

"You did more than alright, and you know that already." I gave her a nod, patting her on the shoulder.

I now had evidence Jacob was responsible. Snake admitted of his involvement with Emmett's childhood friend, and the Volturis. One good thing about the whole conversation was, it was recorded. Nobody could accuse me of making up stories. I would get Black if that was the last thing I did. I would take my time with him and after I finished, he'd wish he never met any of the Swans or Cullens.

The Volturi was another story. I would love to go to war with them, knowing they shouldn't have messed with my family. It seemed Jacob was conspiring with them as well to take down the Swan Unit. The day of his reckoning would come, and I would love to see him suffer just like his friend Snake did.

Another juicy tidbit I got from the screamer and fucktard, Snake, was Black's involvement with Emmett's shooting in New York a few years ago. The reason behind the hit was still unknown, but I was sure we would get that sooner or later. The important thing was I had evidence to show Bella what I had suspected long ago.

This news was something I would deliver to Bella myself. This would devastate their family, but I knew they would get over it. At least they would realize Jacob Black was a scumbag after all. He was never a friend to them, and whatever his reasons were would not be enough to justify why he did it. Emmett would be fucking furious when he finds out, of that I was sure. Black should go find a place to hide now that I had this information about him.

I wondered how Jacob wanted to die? I would give him the option to choose. _Dammit, I'm itching to fuck up that asshole!_

I was still on a high with the information I had, and was so pre-occupied with planning what my next actions were when Marcus reminded me of Bella. It was time for me to pick her up at the hospital. I would dine and wine her first before I tell her the bad news. Truthfully, I didn't want to, but having her mad at me again wasn't an option. I wanted to upset her as little as possible, and also keep all my promises to her at the same time.

And that was what I was going to do.

I clutched the recording in my hand and started to walk to my car. Vicky was walking beside me, looking all smug and pleased. She needed to be rewarded for her deed. A good vacation might do her good. Maybe the Bahamas. I had to ask her if she wanted a few weeks off to.

My cell phone chimed just as I was about to ask Vicky what she wanted. A message from an unknown number registered, and I frowned.

"Shit, I'm going to fucking kill you, you motherfucking coward!" I hissed angrily at my phone. And then another message from that annoying anonymous person popped up again. He thought he was so clever threatening me over the fucking phone.

**Your time's nearly up. 3, 2, 1….bang. You're DEAD! **

We hadn't had the chance to trace the number because it was using a pre-paid phone and had kept changing numbers. I was certain it came form the same person. I refused to change my number because I wanted him to keep sending me his messages in the hopes I would finally find out who he was. And when I do find this person, he or she would be dead meat. _I fucking swear!_ He or she had been annoying me for a few months now, and it wasn't funny anymore.

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**Thank you all for being awesome readers! Muahz! =)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

To ******Skyebella98, **thank you for going over this. I appreciate all the help, girl. ;)

To people still reading, reviewing, lurking...thank you! This wouldn't have been fun without you, guys...seriously! =)

Here it is...another chapter, another crazy ride.

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**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

**EPOV**

_Bang!_

The sound of the gun going off resonated throughout the whole hotel room we were staying in.

I was too shocked to move. Bella was pointing _my gun_ in my direction, and she looked pissed. She was the only one who could dare pull the trigger at me, and I would be okay with it. If I wasn't in awe of what she did, I would have been angry. _My wife is fucking crazy!_

"You shot me."

"No, I shot the wall beside you." Yes, she was right and there was a hole on said wall of the room.

"That's beside the point, Babygirl."

"I told you I would shoot if you stand in my way!" Bella was furious, the gun still in her shaking hands. She had removed it from me when I had informed her she wasn't allowed to go anywhere, not when her intention was to go after Jacob. She had seen the video of Snake's confession, and she was determined to talk to the fucker and extract some kind of revenge for what she did to her family.

"No, Baby. You're not going anywhere." My voice was calm, but there was no denying I was dead serious. I would do everything she would ask of me, but not something that could put her in danger. Going to Black would no doubt be a stupid thing for her to do, especially since we knew he was capable of harming her.

"I will shoot again if you don't get away from that door!" Bella was angrier now; her face was red and her nostrils were flaring.

"No." Whatever happened, she wouldn't be stepping out of this room. She didn't intimidate me with her use of the gun. With or without the weapon, I could make her stay and she knew it.

"Dammit, Mase. Get out of my way so I can kill that scumbag!"

"No, you're not, Sweetheart. Jake's not gonna die from your hands. Not today, not ever, Babe."

I didn't want her hands to be tainted with someone's blood. She would be guilty at one point, and I didn't want that. Even if she came from a mob family, my wife wasn't as tough as she wanted me to believe. She had a good heart, and no argument from her would make that fact go away.

She was just so stubborn, and this stubbornness gets her into trouble most of the time. Especially in situations like these, strapping her onto something would be great…and sometimes I wanted to give into the urge. If only I could. If only there were no repercussions on tying her down so she wouldn't harm herself by doing things irrationally.

All I wanted was to protect her, just like Charlie and Emmett did all those years. But she was making it hard for me to do that simple thing. Now I understood why her father and brother were so adamant to tell her about their lifestyle. It was hard to tame Isabella, and fuck if I wasn't trying my best!

She advanced toward me looking like a fiery kitten.

"Bella," I warned. She clearly wasn't listening to the tone of my voice, and continued to move forward with a scowl on her face. I took a few steps and grabbed her waist firmly.

"Masen, let me go!" she shrieked as she struggled against me, her hand still on my gun. I tried to reach for the weapon, afraid it would accidentally fire.

"No, Babygirl. You know you won't be going anywhere, so just stop struggling." I successfully extricated the gun, dropping it on the floor and kicked it as far away from us as I could.

"No!" Bella was still struggling and kicking, too obstinate to give up her attempt of removing my arms around her. I was stronger than her, making her efforts futile. I wasn't letting her go, and she should know that by now.

"Are you ready to give up, Baby?" I felt her stomp on my foot, but it wasn't too hard so it didn't hurt much. I was about to comment on it when the door was suddenly yanked open. I turned to see Marcus, looking all worried and fierce. He was holding his gun, his stance ready for some kind of threat. However, when he saw Bella and me in our little embrace, his face broke into a crooked grin.

"Sorry, Boss. I was just checking what that gunshot was all about." I gave him a nod, understanding his protectiveness. Before he left the room, I saw him survey the room, checking everything. He needed to be sure there was nothing to be worried about. I knew what he did because that was what I was used to with him. He was one meticulous bodyguard, and I was grateful I had him.

It was a few seconds later when I realized Bella wasn't resisting me anymore. Instead, she was slumped against my chest, holding onto my shirt for support. She wasn't crying, but she was shaking.

"_My poor baby!"_ I thought to myself. She had been through so much.

I lifted her bridal style to our bed, and carefully laid her down. I engulfed her in my arms, comforting her the best way I knew how.

She seemed to be receptive of my touch now, unlike earlier when she hated me for being the bearer of bad news.

We faced each other, my hand wrapped around her waist while the other one caressed her cheek.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. She closed her eyes, and I saw a tear fall. My heart constricted at the thought of her hurting because of Black. I was really going to fuck that dipshit up!

"I never thought Jacob could do that to my family." Her voice was raw, and I heard her sniffle. I rubbed her back and just allowed her to cry. It would better for her after she shed a few tears for that motherfucker, even if he didn't deserve it.

The sound of her cries was what surrounded us for a few minutes. Thankfully, she finally stopped, and I was relieved.

"I should have never doubted your instinct, Mase. You were right all along," she admitted. She placed her palm on my face, and I leaned forward to kiss it.

"Well, I should remind you about this moment the next time you doubt me," I teased. She giggled and smacked my arm.

The sound of her laughter warmed my heart. _Thank God she was smiling again._

"Please don't cry for him again, Babygirl. I'll make him pay, I fucking swear!"

"You better. I'll never forgive you if you don't get revenge for Charlie's death."

"But I think it'll be better if I leave it to your brother to mess him up. It would be best that way, I guess."

"Did you tell Emmet?"

"Not yet."

"Why?" Bella quickly sat up, looking agitated again. I reluctantly raised myself from my comfortable position of holding her and sat up. I sighed, running my hand through my hair. There was this tiny information about her brother and his shooting in New York that I hadn't mentioned just yet.

"There's something else, Bella." I saw her narrow her eyes at me. This was harder than I thought it would be. I should have just allowed her to finish watching the video until the end where Snake admitted that Jake had something to do with Emmett's shooting three years ago.

"What the hell is it, Mase? Tell me!"

"Jake was also involved in your brother's shooting in New York." Her face registered the shock of this new information, and I had somewhat thought she wouldn't believe me. The anger returned in her eyes, and I knew she would again insist on looking for Black.

"Shit! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Bella stood from where she was sitting, and reached for my hand. The urgency in her alerted me on what she planned next, which left me stuck in bed, contemplating on how to stop her. I realized she had started tugging me toward the door, looking impatiently all of a sudden.

"Mase, we have to go. We need to tell Em now!"

Her expression was so comical; I wanted to laugh at her. But I was sure I would regret making fun of her, especially when she was already so riled up. Instead, I shut my mouth and followed her like a fucking puppy.

I was so pussy-whipped I wasn't even ashamed of it.

xxxxxxxxxxx

I threw a towel at an almost naked Emmett. He was just in his boxers, all bloody and sweaty from the exertion of ramming his fists against Amun's brother, Andre.

He wiped the blood from his knuckles with the towel I gave him, before he gathered his shirt and pants on the chair at the side of the room. The air was thick with tension, and I saw Emmett's men waiting for his next move. While he dressed, I saw Amun waiting for some kind of confirmation from Emmett that he could get inside the room his boss had just left to check on his brother. Once Emmett gave him a nod, Amun quickly went inside, looking relieved.

It was not his fault his stupid brother thought it was a good idea to sell off some information he had gotten from Amun about the Swan mansion to Jacob. Since Amun was one of the heads of securities in the mansion, Andre had thought any privy information was free for him to use however way he pleased. He had sold a little of the mansion's floor plan, allowing the Volturi to strategically place the bomb inside the house. It would only be a matter of time before he would be disposed of. I had a pretty good idea what would be an appropriate punishment for him, but I didn't want to assume Emmett had the same idea as I did. If it had happened to me, that Andre would have wished I just removed his fucking eyes.

The whole room was stuffy, and I was getting agitated doing nothing but wait for Emmett's ass to finish. My irritation was peaking, and it had everything to do with Bella's brother intentionally taking his time and pissing me off. But instead of getting myself in trouble with Bella by starting an argument with Emmett, I just lit a cigarette. I needed to calm myself, and smoking would definitely help.

After a few puffs, the nicotine was working its magic and I was less irritated with the slow moving Emmett. I leaned on the wall and decided to just observe my brother-in-law. By now he was dressed, and it took a lot of my self-control not to shout, "Thank God!"

I had to say that Emmett looked more composed and relaxed after his smacking session with Andre. It was clear he released some of the anger and the frustration brought about by the news of Black, which he learned about just a few hours ago. His face looked a little more at peace, and he seemed to be his cocky self around me. Hopefully, he would be more in control when he faced his sister back at the hospital. We had left Bella with Rose to deal with this situation; a treachery that left Rose in the hospital.

The news of Jacob and Andre's betrayal was delivered to Emmett within a few minutes apart of each other. Saying he went berserk was an understatement.

It was a good thing there were no more traces of the lunacy I had seen in his eyes earlier. I needed him to be in his right mind. We had lots of planning to do, especially where that Jacob Black was involved.

I was smoking like a chimney, but I needed to keep myself busy while Emmett finished instructing his men. After his conversation with Sam, he walked toward me and gave me a grin. A conspiring wiggle of his eyebrows followed, as if something happened between us. Maybe something did. He eyed my cigarette so I offered him one, like an offer of friendship. He took one, and somehow it felt like he understood what I was giving, and had accepted.

I knew Emmett didn't like me. He hated my guts even after I married Bella. He couldn't forgive me for my hand in Bella overdosing on coke during that time in New York. I understood his hate, but it didn't mean I liked it. I didn't like being around him because his arrogance and contempt angered me. However, I made a promise to Bella earlier that I would go with her brother and make sure he didn't do anything stupid. I had reluctantly agreed, knowing it wasn't for Emmett's sake I was doing this, but for Bella. Emmett could take care of himself; he was the Mob boss of his unit for God's sake. I used my head this time and didn't say anything to my wife. I knew she would have been pissed if I didn't follow her request.

Something good came out of my afternoon after all. At least now, Emmett and I were much more than civil to one another, all because I went with him to deal with his shit.

"Did you fucking see what I did to his jaw? I'm sure it would be broken. Goddamn kid!" Emmett chuckled and talked to me as if we were best friends.

"You should have just pulled the trigger on him." My voice was flat, like I was bored. Well, I was bored. I wanted to get out of this place and talk about what we were going to do about Black. We still had to gather Bella and Jasper in order for us to get the business of scheming against that asshole, but I knew my wife wouldn't be so keen on the idea of being excluded to the planning part. _Black was a dead man walking as of this second. _

"That wouldn't have been fun. Stupid motherfucker! If it wasn't for Amun, he would have been dead." I frowned, realizing what he meant. Andre would still live to see another day, and that bothered me.

"Do you think that's a good idea, Swan?" I didn't want to meddle in his affairs, but I couldn't help ask the soundness of his plan. If it were me, Andre would have been chopped up somewhere, or buried six feet under. But he wasn't asking me for advice, and I wouldn't be giving him any. It would only end in us going back to where we were before.

"Of fucking course. Andre is just stupid, but he's really smart." I wasn't sure whether he knew he contradicted himself. Ironically, contradictions and all, I got what he was saying. "I have a good feeling about that kid. I just needed to teach him a lesson…something to serve as a reminder for him in the future, especially so he would not mess with me. Do you get my drift, asshole?"

I wanted to roll my eyes at his apparent trusting nature, or might as well call it as it is -_his stupidity_. If Bella trusted his judgment, then so should I.

"Yes."

I slid beside him inside his Mercedes. It was a wonder how we could both fit at the back of the car, seeing he was the size of a wrestler, but we did.

I was about to tease him about his behemoth size, when my phone chimed a message.

"Not again," I groaned like a fucking child. I wanted to slam the phone on something hard. I wasn't really in the mood for another guessing game, but since I had no new leads as to who was making these anonymous messages to me, I couldn't do anything about it.

"Give that to me," I heard Emmett say. Before I could even protest, he had pried the phone away from my hand and was checking out the message.

"Hmmm…seems to me someone is out to get you, man." He returned my phone, and I couldn't help but glance at the message once again.

**I will break ur neck. That I am sure. U will die soon, u shit!**

"We need to go to Benjamin. He will know what to do with that." Emmett smiled at me, looking as if he knew something I didn't. Maybe he did, and for the first time I felt like I could depend on him for help.

If Benjamin could find out who this motherfucker was, I would be a happy son of a bitch.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Here you go." Benjamin showed me the laptop and pointed at something. I tried to decipher what the lines and the graphics meant, but I was at a lost. Still my eyes were glued to the screen, and eventually I found something on the monitor that held the information I needed. It was an address of some sort, but the name of the town Forks piqued my interest. Benjamin explained that the pre-paid number that kept on sending me messages came from this particular area. That bit of data made my heart accelerate with excitement.

_Goddamn! I finally got you, you fucking fuckwad! _I knew it wasn't concrete but Jacob came from Forks and this was not a coincidence.

"You're a fucking genius, Benj!" I clapped him on the back, and he looked proud of himself like he should be. I had some people who had worked to find the information he just gave me, but had failed. It was no wonder Emmett loved this kid. He was not only a whiz on anything electronic, he was also fiercely loyal; and that was the reason he was put in-charge of the security of the mansion together with Amun. It was just an unlucky thing that someone close to them, like Andre, unknowingly put them all in danger.

"Emmett's lucky to have you. The FBI could surely use your expertise, Benj. The people on that bureau are all stupid, you know."

"I wouldn't want to be there, Mr. Cullen." He gave me a sheepish grin, and I chuckled. Benjamin looked young, naive and inexperienced, but the glint of mischievousness I saw in his eyes showed he was nothing of what I mentioned. Just like everyone I knew in the mob, he had an evil streak in him.

"Good to know, Kid. I don't want to be on your bad side," I teased. He looked shy all of a sudden, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't put any ideas in his head, Cullen. My unit is better off with him on my side."

I gave Emmett the finger, and he laughed. This easy camaraderie between Bella's brother and I shocked me, but I wouldn't want to change it. For Bella, I would try to remain friends with Emmett. It would be good for everyone involved especially since I planned to be with my beautiful, crazy wife for a very long time.

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**I know I have been a fail on updates. I'm writing an original fiction, which my friend asked me to, and it's taking time away from me writing fanfic.**

**Anyway, I'm still here...just taking a little longer to finish. But don't fret, I promise to finish this story before November ends. (definitely before 2012 arrives.) **

**So, that being clear, please send me some love. **

**Thanks my lovely peeps. =)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

Thank you to**Thaigher lillie **for her betaing skills. *kisses*

**WARNING: Violence in this chapter, (and of course, a lot of swearing...as usual.) You have been warned, so read at your own risk.**

Here goes.

xxxxxxxxxx

**Terms:**

**Borgat****a:** Family. The basic structural unit of the Mafia society. The Borgata has an established hierarchy, a body of members or soldiers, and many associates.

**Capo: **a minor leader within a Mafia family, chief of a crew. Also referred to as a captain, skipper or lieutenant.

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**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

**EPOV**

I could feel my hands tingle with anticipation, just waiting for my turn to do some damage to that fucking asshole. Hopefully, Emmett would leave some piece of him for me, even a little piece. It would be enough; I wasn't greedy.

The scene in front of me was not something I had pictured for Black, but it was better than nothing.

Emmett held Jacob's head by his hair, sneering at him while he gasped for air. Jacob's face was wet and flushed from the severe pain Emmett was inflicting on him.

"What does it feel like, asshole? Does the pain feel fucking good?" Emmett yelled.

Satisfaction ran through me as I watched Black suffer. He deserved everything Emmett planned for him and more.

After what Black did to the Swans, it felt right to allow my brother-in-law to decide the fate of Jacob. Truthfully, I would have liked it better if I was the one fucking Jacob up, but I could settle for this.

Emmett plunged Jacob's head back into the drum of water, making him work for his air. And worked he did. He struggled, splashing water all over the place, trying to get his head out of the water. His hands and feet were tied, making his actions futile. Emmett was shirtless, showing off the muscles as he tried to contain Jacob inside the drum.

I had promised Bella earlier I would keep an eye on her brother. Emmett didn't need any help looking after, but I intended to keep my promise to my wife. It was clear there was no imminent danger, with Black all tied up, and I had no need to worry.

As I stared at a grinning Emmett, I couldn't help want Black to be dead. But the masochist in me, wanted to see him suffer. An easy death wasn't what he deserved. He needed to see and feel pain like no other.

It took forever for Emmett to pull Black's head up, making me think he would let Jacob drown. There was nothing more satisfying than seeing one of my most hated enemy in agony.

Black was heaving, getting as much air as he could get. He was coughing, and he looked so fucking ugly right now. _Why didn't I fucking think of documenting this shit?_ Vicky would have reminded me if I had seen her before I came here. But she was with Jasper in Italy, getting some important information on the Volturis. After we dealt with this problem, the fucking Italian _Borgata_ was next.

Just as I took a long drag of my cigarette, I saw Emmett pull back Jacob's head, enough so he could spit on his face.

"Look at you now, fucker! Doesn't this feel good?" Emmett hissed. I saw Black cringe when Emmett pulled his head harder.

"How is this for payback? I knew if you could, you would scream like a bitch, wouldn't you? You're such a fucking girl!"

"Fuck you!"

"No, fuck you!" Emmett then smacked Black's head so hard, hitting his chin on the metal drum as he went down. He was down on the floor, groaning and grunting as he continued to struggle. He was like a wet fish out of water. He should've been bloody all over, but the water washed it all out. When I looked at him lying on the floor, there was little evidence as to how brutal Emmett had dealt with him for the last hour. I was sure all the bruising would be seen after a few hours, but there would be nothing left of his body. I would assure of that. There would be no trail of evidence that would point that Emmett or I touched Black. Marcus was effective at eliminating dead bodies.

After a few days of looking for Black, we had tracked him down a few hours ago. It seemed he knew something bad had happened to Snake; he hadn't heard from him in the last couple of days and decided to bail. We found him nearing the borders of Mexico, attempting to escape his inevitable fate, to escape us. The thing was, Mexico wasn't the best city for him to hide. We had more contacts there than in other cities. For someone who had the dedication to plan plots against the Swans, it seemed like a spontaneous decision. One in which there was not much planning involved. Stupid how he didn't think; I could only attribute it to panic.

The thought of him ever escaping my wrath, or even Emmett's was unfathomable, and it made me chuckle. I might have been too loud, because Emmett was now looking at me with a wicked smile on his face.

"So, do you think this is funny, Cullen?"

"Oh, yes! Don't fucking stop on my account, Swan."

Jacob was writhing down on the floor. Somehow during my internal musing, Emmett had kicked him hard repetitiously.

"That's what you get, Motherfucker, for shitting with my family!" Emmett shouted. He pulled his foot back and proceeded to give Black another kick at the back.

"Fuck! Stop…stop!...Dammit…shit…I'm fucking sorry!" Jacob cried. He sputtered blood, spitting some on the floor next to him.

"Now, you're sorry? Too fucking late, motherfucker!"

"Please…please! I'll make it up to you….just please…don't kill me!"

I flicked the cigarette before taking another drag. This was my fifth stick in the last hour; I was smoking like a chimney again. Smoking calmed me, and I needed it so I wouldn't give into the urge to attack Black before Emmett could have his fun.

"You're not so tough now, eh Black. You even look like shit on the floor." Emmett hissed. He straightened from his previous kneeling position and just stared at Jacob as he writhed on the floor. Emmett had a confused expression on his face, and I wondered what was going through his mind.

The room was quiet, except for the moans and groans coming from Jacob. There were only the three of us here, opting to leave the _muscles_ outside the door to stand guard. Emmett and I wanted to deal with this dipshit ourselves. Bella wanted to come along, but Emmett was adamant not to bring her with us. They had a big argument about it, but she eventually relented. But before I left, she made me promise to tell her everything that happened today with Jacob. I eagerly agreed, thankful her request was something I could easily do. Her coming here wouldn't have been the best idea, and I wasn't stupid to grant her simple wish of knowing what had transpired inside this dark room.

Emmett seemed to like idea of a human punching bag, because he had Jacob kneeling in front of him while he took swings on his face. This was taking forever for me, and I chucked the remaining cigarette and pulled a chair. Emmett stopped, long enough for me to drag a screaming Jacob up and unceremoniously deposited him on the chair.

"Sit down, you fucking shit!" I yelled, fisting his hair in my hand. I pulled and raised his head, forcing him to meet my eyes. "You're going to enjoy this, Black. Mark my fucking words."

I heard Emmett laugh maniacally, and I knew he didn't take offense in my interruption. I wanted answers and I needed them now.

Jacob was restless, as he should be, and kept on squirming. I wanted him to stay still so I tied his body to the chair, making him less immobile than he already was. I purposely positioned a chair behind him, making sure I was comfortable for what I had to do. The pair of scissors I held gleamed under the fluorescent light of the room, reminding me this was actually a new pair.

I slid his earlobe in between the blades of the scissors, making sure he felt the cold metal. Hearing him gasp made me grin. His whole body started shaking and I laughed.

"Oh, shit!"

"I'm going to fucking cut your ear off if you don't answer all my questions," I whispered against his ear.

Emmett smirked, telling me he liked what I was doing. He got a chair and planted himself right in front of Jacob, sandwiching the motherfucker between us.

Emmett's nod was encouragement enough for me to continue with my plan. Working together with Emmett seemed to be going smoothly, making me think of possible team-ups with him in the future. He and I seemed to have good rapport when it came to this kinds of shit.

It was clear Emmett had relinquished his authority to me temporarily. "So, if you may Mr. Black, enlighten us of your involvement with Emmett's shooting in New York. I'm pretty sure your friend Swan here would like to hear it."

"He's not my fucking friend anymore, Cullen."

"Oh, right," I declared. I leaned forward again, and spoke near Jacob's ear, my words enunciated. " You heard that Black? You're no longer a friend, so that means he won't assure your safety here…with us." I pulled back his head hard, pulling his hair in the process. I was sure it hurt, but not as much as what the scissors would do to him.

"Fuck…fuck!"

"Yes, you're fucked, Black," I drawled lazily. I was even able to insert a laugh or two while I made sure he knew I wasn't kidding with my threat. He would be without another ear if he wouldn't tell me what I wanted.

"Yeah, Jacob. Why don't you tell us about New York…hmmm?" Emmett said calmly. I was amazed he was so in control of himself now. Black remained silent and that pissed me off.

"Tell me," I insisted softly, squeezing the scissors in my hand. I could see the sharp edges penetrating his skin, and it started bleeding.

"Fuck…stop! Yes, I'll tell you….just…just stop…please!"

I laughed, confirming what I had thought about without doubt earlier – that he would say everything I wanted to hear. "That's the right thing to do, isn't it? Better to cooperate than to lose an ear, Black. Good choice there," I said. I was pretty smug about our situation, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

Emmett snorted, before shouting, "So talk, you motherfucker! I want to hear all these crap about you and my family." Emmett was practically growling, clearly not as cool-headed as I thought he was. Black might have sensed the same thing I did about Emmett, because he started to speak.

"My father wanted so badly to become a part of Charlie's _Family_. I knew about his desire of becoming a member because he talked about nothing except that since I was a little kid."

"But he was made a _Capo_, Jake." I could hear the distress in Emmett's voice, and I knew this still affected him in some way…even if he acted as if it didn't.

"Yeah, right. He was like the fucking errand boy for Charlie." The bitterness in Black's voice wasn't lost to me.

"Billy wanted to be my father's assistant. Everybody knew that. He loved Charlie like he was his own brother. Are you fucking telling me he didn't?" Emmett asked angrily.

"He fucking did…that was the problem!" Jake hissed back. His words were full of venom. "I didn't think it was fair for my father to be just doing everything the Boss wanted. I wanted him to be the fucking Boss! He deserved it! But oh no, all he wanted to do was protect Charlie. He said it was enough for him."

"But it wasn't enough for you," I clarified, knowing for sure now that it was Jacob's own jealousy that drove him to betray the trust of his friends.

"What the fuck do you think, huh?" he yelled. I could see the vein on his head popping from the sheer pressure of his anger, and I was tempted to use the tip of the scissors to pop it. He tried to move his head but the hold I had on him prevented him from doing so. I pressed the scissors a little tighter, making him feel the pain, reminding him it was not a good idea for all that movement.

"Answer the question," I demanded, my voice full of authority. There was no room for argument, but I had expected him to know that by now. He might as well have signed his death certificate with his own blood the moment he decided to go against the mob. Fucking with us meant you should be ready for any and all repercussions of your actions.

"Shit…yes! It wasn't enough. Being a capo or anything less wasn't good enough for me. I…I fucking wanted to be the Boss someday," he said frantically. I pulled his head back some more, so his neck was thoroughly exposed to me. I could even see his Adam's apple bounce as he swallowed.

"Go on," I whispered.

"I wanted…no, I needed to become Boss, and in order for that to happen, I had to make sure my father replaced Charlie. But oh no, my father didn't make it easy for me…because he had to fucking die on me even before I could take my plans into effect! Goddammit, I couldn't take it! I was so fucking angry at him for dying on me!" he yelled, looking like the crazed maniac he was.

"That was why you put a hit on me a month after he died?" Emmett asked. I looked at him and saw his eyes were trained on Black, murderous and angry.

I loosened my hold on Jacob's head, allowing him to move it forward a little. My eyes were still on Emmett, and I knew his anger within was blazing. It would only be a matter of time before he would explode.

"Was it even you who pulled the trigger, Jake?" Emmett asked again. This was a conversation left between them. I was simply here to serve as the catalyst to move things along.

"No."

"Oh, God. You're such a fucking coward. You can't even kill me yourself."

"You were my friend, Emmett. I couldn't do it!"

Emmett laughed so hard. It was unexpected, but it wasn't funny at all. It sounded strained and evil, and I felt Jacob tense.

"You could call a hit on me, but not pull a trigger…because I was your friend?" Emmett stood up and I could feel his anger brewing. I could fell the tension from him, so I removed the scissors from where it was positioned on Black's ear. Just when I put down my hand, Emmett quickly slammed his fist across Jake's chin. I heard something crack, and I knew Jacob just broke his jaw.

Jacob sputtered blood, his head shaking from side to side. I wrapped my arm around his neck, tightening it as I asked, "Why did you ask for the hit in the first place?" I could hear the thundering of his heart, the shaking of his body in fear.

"Because he was fucking second in line. I had plans to eliminate him then Charlie. Without any of them, I had assurance to get the entire unit on my side."

"What about Bella?" I asked.

"Oh, I definitely had plans with her also…until you fucked that up, Cullen." I could hear the smugness in his voice, and it made me snap.

"Oh, really?" I plunged the scissors on his right shoulders without hesitation.

"Son of a bitch!...Fuck!...Fuck!"

"That's for thinking about my Bella!" I would have liked seeing him without an ear, but the scissors on his back served its purpose.

"She was mine first!" he screamed. The wound on his shoulder was dripping blood, and I wanted to see how much more he would bleed. I pushed the scissors a little more, and he screamed. I laughed, knowing he was suffering.

"She was supposed to be married to me, not some fucking asshole she met a few years ago! Not you, Cullen…Me! She was supposed to be with me! The bitch just didn't realize it yet!"

"Oh, you just didn't say that." I kicked the chair, and he toppled forward, landing directly on top of Emmett's foot. Because he was tied to the chair, he couldn't move, just laid there wriggling like a stupid worm.

My own anger was surfacing, and I was preoccupied with thoughts of making this dipshit suffer that I hadn't realize Emmett was holding a gun, not until he pointed it toward Jacob. He flipped the chair, sending Jake back in a sitting position. Emmett crouched down so they were eye level.

"This is for my father," Emmett said. I heard him clock his gun and shot Jacob on the left leg.

"Motherfucker!" Black's scream resonated throughout the whole room.

"This is for Bella." Emmett shot the other leg.

"Oh, God! Please…please!" Jacob pleaded, but Emmett had no mercy on him.

"This is for me!" Emmett shot Jacob's stomach next. I saw Black shake wildly, before throwing up all over the floor. His spit and blood mixed together.

"And this…is for my Rosie!"

This time, Emmett leaned down and raised Jacob's head. He slowly pointed his gun inside Black's mouth, watching as Black's eyes widen in realization. I could hear Emmett's chuckle as he pulled the trigger.

_Bang!_

That was the sound that marked the end of Black.

I was satisfied.

Emmett was satisfied.

I was relieved.

Emmett was relieved. It was clear on his expression. He was all sweaty, but he was beaming.

"Motherfucker didn't deserve to die an easy death, but I couldn't help it," he said with satisfaction. He glanced at the dead body of Black slumped on his chair, and grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"At least, he isn't roaming the streets any longer. One less threat to out family, the fucking better, Swan."

"You're right, Cullen." He patted me on the back like we were old time friends. But I liked it.

This friendship with Bella's brother was getting better by the minute. I chuckled as he nudged me.

We made our way out of the bodega, all bloodied and sweaty, but there was no doubt it was one fucking good day.

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**Jacob's dead. Anyone crying over it? O_o**

**A few more chapters, peeps...then we say goodbye.**

**Review please. **


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

To ******Skyebella98,** thank you for taking the time to go over this. I appreciate all the help, girl. ;)

To people still reading, reviewing, lurking...thank you!

It's been a while since my last update, sorry about that. But I'm back, so no need for you to fret any longer. lol. Definitely going to finish this before the month/year ends (as promised in my profile).

I had written this chapter a while back, but wasn't satisfied with it. However, I didn't get the chance to rewrite it, so I'm just gonna present it like it was a few weeks back.

Little sweet lovin' between E and B...this chapter. Hope you like it. Enjoy! =D

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**Term:**

**Borgata:** Family. The basic structural unit of the Mafia society. The Borgata has an established hierarchy, a body of members or soldiers, and many associates.

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**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**

**EPOV**

"Yes that's it, baby," I moaned, tightening my hold on her hair. Her mouth, warm and wet, felt oh so fucking good. She was sucking hard and I could feel the tension building; I would lose it if I didn't get inside her soon. "Bella…baby…"

I tugged her hair, trying to pull her away but she gripped my hips tighter, not letting go. She started bobbing her head, up down…up down, making me hiss. She was playing me like a puppet. _The fucking tease! _

She took me deeper down her throat and I was going to fucking come if I didn't stop her.

"Bella!" I growled, knowing I would get her attention that way. She looked up at me through her long lashes, her mouth still wrapped around my cock. She looked so good that way. I was panting like a rabid dog, closing my eyes to prevent shooting my load prematurely inside her fucking mouth. I tugged her hair non-too gently, pulling her to me. She gave me smirk and quickly straddled me.

"You're such a fucking tease!"

"I don't tease, Mase," she purred, leaning forward so her tits were pressed against my chest. I could feel her nipples, and I groaned. She was taking her time, licking my ear and rubbing her hands on my chest. I was so wound up by now, I wasn't beyond begging her. "I need to be inside you, babygirl. Please!"

She pulled away slightly, just enough for me to see her eyes dark with lust. I gripped her hips and positioned her directly on my very hard cock. Without preamble, she pushed her hips down, taking me deep inside her.

"Shit!" Her pussy felt so fucking good and I knew I wouldn't last long. My hands started helping her move on top of me, guiding her to how I liked it.

"Ride me, baby. I need you to fuck me hard!" I snarled. My hold on her was getting tighter but at that moment, nothing mattered but my want of what she could give me…me inside her. She was moving on top of me, her tits bouncing and my eyes couldn't stray away from them. _Dammit, she was so fucking sexy!_

Just when I thought I couldn't feel any better about being connected with her, she swirled her hips around and I almost died. Fuck! Her pussy gripped me tight and I let go. I came hard, spilling my seed inside her as I cursed 'fuck fuck fuck' over and over again.

She was heaving, her tits on display. I grabbed her head, pulling her down so I could kiss her on the lips properly. My need for her was never ending, it was like I needed to touch her…kiss her all the time. She seemed to feel the same, pressing her body closer to me as she continued to open her mouth for me. I snaked my tongue between her lips, loving how easy it was for me to invade her mouth like this. _I was one lucky son of a bitch!_

"I love you," I whispered against her lips. I felt her smile, stopping for a little while before kissing me again. I was still inside her, and her kisses were making me hard again. I groaned, knowing we need to stop. I had a very tiring day; dealing with Jake was both emotionally and physically tiring. Besides, she was already tired. I reluctantly pulled away, my breaths coming in heavy as I tried to control my desire.

"I still want to kiss, Mase," she said petulantly, pouting as she did. I gave her a chaste kiss, before shifting both of us so we were cuddling, her head on my chest.

"Bella, I need you to rest," I whispered, kissing her on the head. We were both naked, her sweaty body pressed against mine. I rubbed her back, making sure I wasn't encouraging her for another round.

I had an early meeting with Jasper tomorrow, and then I needed to consult with Carlisle about the Volturis. As much as I would love for another go, my already exhausted mind and body wouldn't allow me to. Luckily, she changed the subject. I was relieved for only a second, because she wanted to talk about Black yet again.

"Mase, is Jacob really dead?" she asked for the hundredth time that night. I smoothed a loose strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear.

"I already told you what happened, babe. He's really dead," I said patiently. I had recounted to her numerous times already the events in the bodega earlier, and she seemed not to have been satisfied with the details. She sighed loudly.

"I told you I should have been there," she reiterated, her brows squished together in frown.

"Baby, I told you I didn't want you there."

"Yes, because for some unexplained reason your male ego didn't think I could handle all the blood," she snapped. I knew she was getting pissed all over again because she wasn't there to witness Jake's demise. She started pushing away from me, and I didn't like it one bit. I wanted her always attached to me.

My hold on her tightened, making her unable to pull away. "Mase, you're actually suffocating me!" she complained, wiggling as she tried to break free from my hold.

"Ooops, sorry," I said, smirking and giving her a little bit of space. She settled back into me, sighing. I kissed her forehead; thanking my lucky stars Black never got his hands on her. Now he was dead, I had little less to worry about. It didn't mean, however, I would loosen her tight security. I even planned to add another muscle to her team. The hate I had seen in Jake's eyes made me realize my enemies would always find a way to hurt me. I was more paranoid now than before, and she soon I had to explain to her why I needed another person to guard her. She was my world and I didn't know how to live without her any longer. The microchip alone was a great help, but I wouldn't take her safety to chance. I knew she would be pissed by this development, but I was happy to argue my case. Just not tonight.

I was playing with her hair, loving the way the strands feel between my fingers. Cuddling after sex was one of my favorite times with her. Anything I did with her always felt amazing. She was my home…my peace. I knew I sounded like a tool, and Jasper would laugh at my stupid ass, but I didn't care. It was all true.

My exhausted body knew I needed rest, but my mind was still restless. Thinking she was asleep, I tried to shift our position without disturbing her. The giggle from her negated my assumption she would have deep in sleep right now.

Bella started kissing my chest and my traitorous body started responding. When she licked my nipples, I hissed; my cock definitely was saluting her now.

"Stop, baby," I said grittily.

When she didn't heed my protests, I growled; rolling us over and pinning her down on the bed. She spread her legs and I pushed inside her.

I fucked her until the wee hours of the morning.

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Looking behind me as I put on my pants, Bella was sleeping naked on the bed. Her tits were slightly exposed so I leaned down and pulled the sheets up, kissing her cheek as I did. No need for her to wake up just yet.

I slid out of the room silently, careful not to wake her from her slumber, and went directly to the kitchen. I needed some fucking caffeine before I had to deal with Carlisle.

As I poured me some of the black coffee already on the coffee maker, I dialed Jasper's number. It was still early in the morning, but not too early for me to fucking call him.

"J, are you up?" I asked, not allowing him to even say good morning.

"Yup…and your sister's not happy about it. We were about to…you know," he said. His voice was teasing, but I highly doubted he was. Jasper was not a shy guy, he was candid about everything in his life, even his own sexuality. The only fucking problem was, he seemed to have forgetten he married my sister. There was no need for me to hear about their sex life. I shuddered at that thought.

"Don't fucking start with me with that shit so early in the morning," I growled, and he laughed. He knew what I meant and if I was anywhere near him at that moment I would have punched his face. He loved taunting me with the talk of sex with Alice. Again, not fucking funny!

"Are you finished laughing, asshole?" I took a sip of my coffee and waited for his laughter to die down.

"I'm sorry about that, Boss," he said sarcastically. "Okay, I'm serious now."

"You better fucking be," I replied dryly. "So how did it go?" Jasper had just arrived from Italy after talking to the Vs.

"Well, to be honest I didn't really expect everything to go smoothly," he started. He cleared his throat and I waited, just sipping my coffee silently. "Remember, I made sure Snake's body parts would arrive on their doorsteps just like you instructed. Snake's body kind of surprised them."

"What do you mean, J?"

"It seemed to me they didn't know Jacob was using them to get to the Swans or you," he said.

"But they fucking helped him," I argued, already knowing this.

"Yeah, but they said Jake had promised to eliminate Emmett because they thought Swan was interested in nabbing some of their shipment from Italy to Maryland. Black was so fucking convincing they eventually believed Emmett was out to sabotage them." I put him on speaker so I could eat some of the muffins I found on the table.

"Is Aro fucking crazy? Why the hell would they believe a lowly detective?" I asked incredulously, my mouth was full of muffins I felt like I grumbled my words. Despite of my incoherent mumbling, it seemed Jasper still understood me.

"Fuck if I knew. But I think Black promised them something…something Aro wouldn't explain to me. He wants to meet with you as soon as he could. He promised to tell you everything," Jasper said.

"What the hell, J?"

"He wants you to go to Italy."

"Why the fuck won't he come here?"

"He said he didn't trust Emmett. It would be better for you guys, that's according to him, to have the talk in Italy. He even suggested France, if you're unwilling to go to their territory."

I stayed silent, knowing I needed to talk to Aro. "What do you think, J?"

It took him a minute before he answered. "Well, I think he's right. I don't trust Swan not to retaliate because of what was done to his family. But I know you and Aro need to talk, and I think going to him means you're ready to reconcile."

I thought of what Jasper said. I totally agree with everything he said. Emmett would surely kick my fucking ass if he knew I planned to meet up with the Italian _Borgata_. This was important, and I would deal with my brother-in-law when I got back from France.

"Okay. We'll fly out tomorrow," I told him.

"Whatever you fucking say, E," he said. I heard some giggling and knew it was my fucking sister. "I gotta go, Boss. The missus is getting impatient."

"I'm going to kick your ass, Edward, when I see you. It's not fair to be calling my husband at this ungod-" I hung up before Alice could even finish her rant. I was already having a headache and I didn't need for her to add to it.

I sighed, remembering Bella. She wouldn't like this. Not one bit. I ran my hand through my hair and went to the bathroom. I needed to cool off before I tell her the news. I wasn't sure how she would take it.

Now, how to fucking tell her I would leave her behind to go to France?

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**Four chaps. to go (maybe five, if I have the urge to write an epi). A few more chaps. left for you guys to tell me what you think about this crazy story.**

**Review please. It'll sure make me smile. **

**Don't you worry, the next chap. is going to be posted soon. Maybe this weekend.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

To ******Skyebella98,** thank you for helping me with this chapter. Kisses and hugs a million times, bb. lol

Thank you to all my readers. Every alert on my mail makes me giddy...so keep 'em coming. =D

Here is the next chapter...as promised. Happy reading!

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**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**

**BPOV**

"Mase, I want to go!" I was seriously getting annoyed with Edward. He had been ignoring my plea to go with them. If he thought for one second I would allow them to go without me, then he had another thing coming. This time I wouldn't be easily coerced into agreeing with whatever he planned. No, no sir.

My husband just stared at me cockily, as if he was amused by my rant. I knew I was behaving like a petulant child; even resorting to stomping my foot earlier, but it didn't mean he could just stand there and act as if my reasons didn't matter. I was fuming; I could feel my nostrils flaring as I glared at him.

I felt someone's hands on my arms and turned to see Alice. She smiled and tugged me away from Edward.

"Bella, please."

I wanted to punch that smile away from her face.

"Alice, can you please just stop pulling my hand?" I snapped at her. She just giggled, as if there was something funny in what I said. I scowled at her, and she just smiled wider. Alice was one freak of a person. No wonder she was giving me whiplash. She was always so full of energy, like nothing worried her. She wasn't supposed to be happy at this time. Her husband and mine were going out of the country to meet with the Volturis.

Edward had received a phone call from Aro, the head of the Italian unit a few days ago. Vicky or Jasper - I wasn't sure who - had intentionally sent the chopped body parts of Snake as a warning to their borgata. I wasn't that naïve to know the message was an impending war between the families. The call was a surprise, but Edward explained it was important for them to go to France to meet with Aro. I insisted it wasn't a good idea for Edward and Jasper to go, but nobody was fucking listening to me! Emmett offered, or more like demanded, to go with them, but my husband assured him he needed to stay here. Emmett as expected was pissed and argued with Edward; however, when my husband reminded him of Rose still recuperating in the hospital, he reluctantly relented. There were a lot of words exchanged between my brother and my husband, but it was like they were trying to keep it from me. _Assholes…that's what they all are!_

"Masen! I'm not gonna have sex with you ever again if you're not gonna bring me!"

I heard collective gasps from everyone present in the room. My eyes were fixed on my husband's back, hoping he could feel the heat of my rage. He turned slowly, his eyebrows raised, challenging me.

He didn't think I could follow through with the threat. _Let's fucking see!_ I raised my own eyebrow in response.

He came forward to stand in front of me, and I crossed my arms across my chest in defiance.

"Oh, really?" He smirked. He took a step forward and I moved back. He was dangerously close, and his eyes had a mischievous twinkle in them I knew I should be wary of. He reached out to caress the exposed skin of my shoulder and I hissed. I could feel my nipples harden against the soft fabric of my shirt. I bit my lip, trying not to be obviously aroused by the simple gesture, but the smirk on Edward's lips told me my reaction wasn't lost to him.

_Jerk! _

I was too pissed to let him have his way. "I'm gonna go anyway…whether you leave Seth and a whole lot of bodyguards. You can't prevent me from going, Mase!"

I saw him close his eyes and inhaled deeply. He was trying to be patient with me; that I was sure of. But I was adamant to have my way, just this once! I pursed my lips, frowning at him. He opened his eyes to my scowl, and the look he gave me was one of frustration.

"Baby, please." He cupped my face in his hands, pleading. I was stubborn.

"I'll be in France, Masen. Mark my words," I told him. "Either you bring me, or I'll find some other way to get there. So what will it be?" I was serious. He had to know that.

He frowned, contemplating. He was stubborn, too.

I pouted, hoping it would work. His eyes softened, and he sighed.

"Okay," he said. His hands on my face tightened a bit, making a point. "But you have to promise to stay at the hotel. No sneaking, Bella."

I didn't want to promise him that, but I knew his patience was thin when it came to my safety so I nodded reluctantly.

"No fair!" I heard Alice shriek. Now that I got my way, I smiled at Edward sweetly, but he only grunted and pulled away from me.

As I turned to look at Alice, I couldn't help but giggle at her excited reaction. It was clear that now I was going, she was too. Before I could even tell her what I thought about her giddiness, I heard Edward.

"Bella, look at me." Edward was serious. He grabbed my hand, and intertwined my finger with his as he faced me. "This is not something to be taken lightly. There's a reason I wanted you to stay here in Chicago, but you're so fucking stubborn!"

I was insulted, I didn't know why. I glared at him, but he ignored me. His fingers tightened around mine. "You have to listen to everything I say and you better obey me when we're there. I don't want any surprises. We can't afford that."

"Okay. But-"

"No buts, Isabella. Promise me!"

I knew this wasn't a vacation. The reason I wanted to be there was because I also needed to be sure nothing bad would happen to him. I wasn't stupid; he should know that by now.

"Yes, I promise! Are you satisfied now?" I retorted, irritated he couldn't trust me enough to be there with him. This was not a game, and I didn't plan on doing anything stupid.

I huffed, and he snorted. _Yeah, I'm so mature, I know._

"We have a few more hours before the plane is ready. Everyone knows what needs to be done so we meet here in three hours. Make sure everything is ready for our departure," Edward said. Vicky was staring at me again; her stares had always made me uncomfortable. I scowled at her, and she smirked. _Bitch!_

As I tuned to go to my room, I saw Alice smiling widely. She looked as giddy as ever, like she was going on her many shopping trips. I knew she thought this would be fun.

If only it would be.

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**EPOV**

I didn't know what I was thinking when I brought her. I sighed, knowing I was a fool when it came to her.

I turned to look at her sleeping form and reached out to touch her cheek. As if she felt my presence, she sighed loudly, moving closer to my hand. I leaned down to kiss her then arranged the blanket around her.

As quietly as possible, I left her to sleep and made my way into the living room of our hotel suite. Jasper was there smoking.

"She's still sleeping?" he asked, his arm around my sister.

"Yeah," I answered, plopping myself down opposite them. Bella didn't even stir when I carried her from our car up here to our presidential suite.

"That's funny, she seems to be sleeping a lot now…hmm," Alice observed. I raised my brow in question, curious as to what her point was. She just shrugged, but something in her eyes told me she knew something I didn't.

I let it pass. I had a lot more things to worry about now.

"What time did Aro say is the meeting?" Jasper knew what I was asking. He removed his arm around Alice, and chucked his cigarette on the ashtray in front of him.

"It's not another three hours, Edward. But I already instructed Marcus and Vicky to make a sweep of the place," he said.

I nodded, pleased with his decision. Carlisle had told me Aro was one sneaky fucker, so I needed to be prepared for anything that could happen in this meeting. Aro was in his sixties; he had more than forty years on me, but it didn't mean he couldn't take me down. Carlisle's warning about the Volturi's didn't go unheeded; I was fucking prepared for this shit. I had the best team – Jasper, Marcus and Victoria. Between the three of them, it would be fucking hard to touch me. I wasn't too worried, but it didn't mean I didn't take the necessary precautions needed for this meeting. I am cocky; not stupid.

"Shitty television!" I heard Alice mutter. "I can't understand one word they're saying."

Jasper and I exchanged a look before we chuckled. Trust Alice to worry about something so mundane while we had other more important issues to deal with. My sister was really something else.

The hours passed in a blur. When I left the hotel, Bella was still asleep. I was somewhat disappointed I didn't get to kiss her properly, but at the same time relieved she didn't know I had left for the meeting. I didn't want her to worry. It was my job to do the worrying for both of us. Besides, this meeting would only be a short one if I had a say in it. I might even be back at the hotel before she woke up.

The small restaurant Aro had suggested we would have our meeting was situated in the heart of Cannes. Marcus had informed me the restaurant was closed to other guests today. Aro had reserved the whole place for our privacy.

As we entered, the _'le chef de rang'_ greeted us with a warm smile and a _"Bienvenue"_. It was a fucking good thing French was one of those things I learned while I traveled the world, when my father was still alive.

Aro was already sitting in one corner; he had a big smile on his face as he rose to greet me. I nodded and took my seat across from him. Felix was standing behind Aro, while James, his right hand, was standing beside him in a defensive stance. He was fucking afraid we would do something to his boss.

Jasper sat beside me unceremoniously, and James stepped forward. Aro stopped him, and Jasper smirked cockily. Aro waved a waiter and asked for our orders. I declined, having no intention of eating. Aro raised his eyebrow and I shrugged.

"Very well," he said, but whispered something in the waiter's ear. He then waved the waiter away when he saw Jasper also didn't order. Aro had a huge steak in front of him, but he momentarily ignored it, focusing his attention to me.

"How was your flight, Edward?" he asked, before popping a cigar in his mouth.

"It was okay," I answered dryly. He chuckled, and I frowned.

"You're like your father. A man with a few words," he said. He gave me a look, a fucking look I didn't like. "How's Carlisle?" He was chewing his cigar, his steak completely forgotten as he slumped back on his seat.

I could feel my jaw tense. I wasn't here to talk about my father or any body in my fucking family! Before I could say something, the waiter returned to place a few glasses of what I assumed was scotch.

"I know you said you didn't want to eat, but maybe a few drinks? I ordered for you." I didn't want any food in the fear he might have drugged it.

"No, we're not going to fucking drink." I didn't want anything that came from Aro.

James moved. "It's an insult to refuse Aro's gifts," he hissed. I scowled at him. Nobody orders me to do something I didn't want to fucking do. James' reaction alerted me something was going to happen. I assessed how far Aro was sitting from me, and the movement of his hands from the cigar to the table.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Jasper grab one of the glasses like he was about to drink, but then he suddenly stood up and threw the drink at James' face.

Everything happened in a blur.

Before Aro could move, I had my gun pointed at his crotch under the table, the metal was pressed hard against his junk, while my other hand was holding a knife, which was now embedded on the table between Aro's fingers. It was a good thing I was a good aim, both with guns and knives. It was also a good thing I chose not to bury the knife in his palm.

I could see Aro heaving, and I smiled. I knew I would blow Aro's balls off even before someone pulled their trigger. Because you see, I also had a gun pointed at my head.

Jasper and James were standing; each had their guns pointed at each other. Assessing. Daring.

"So what the fuck should we do now?" Jasper asked in a bored tone.

* * *

**J is still the ever cool dude. lol.**

**So what do you think will happen? I would like to hear your thoughts/guesses.**

**Thanks! =)**

**P.S Next chapter...hopefully before christmas. **


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

My sweet ******Skyebella98** is kinda busy these days because of the holidays, so she was not able to check this. I apologize for any/all mistakes you encounter.

I kinda promised a chap. before Christmas, so here it is. Enjoy!

**MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE! HOPE YOU HAVE FUN WITH YOUR LOVED ONES! =D**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

**Term:**

**Swag:** stolen goods.

**Underboss: **Second in command of a borgata. The underboss is often selected because he represents a powerful minority wing in the family.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT**

**EPOV**

"_So what the fuck should we do now?" _

Even though there was a gun pointed at my head, Jasper's bored tone amused me. It was his ability to take it all in stride that amazed me. He was one cool motherfucker…that I could attest to. If laughing wouldn't trigger the gun pressing at my temple, I would have done it already. I wasn't that stupid; I knew what the boundaries were.

Aro was staring at me calculatingly. It was clear he didn't find anything funny in Jasper's words; there was no trace of amusement in his eyes. He didn't seem fazed, but the way he was drumming his fingers on the table told me otherwise.

Truth be told, I was kind of worried about the gun pressed to my head, even though I had learned a long time ago that these things come with the job. I wasn't too cocky to know I wasn't invincible. A gun was still a fucking gun. It could easily kill, especially now it was just millimeters away from my brain. At any moment, incidents like this could end fucking badly for anyone…or everyone.

I thought about Bella, and I got pissed. She couldn't be a widow yet, not at this stage of our life…not this young. I had promised her so many things, and I fucking planned to deliver. My goal was to live as long as I could, or simply put…for a very long time.

"I thought you called for some kind of fucking truce, Aro. Not this," I hissed at him, pressing my gun a little harder against his crotch to make a point. He did something that was rare to him – he flinched. Though it was a very small movement, I was still able to catch it, alerting me to the possibility he might actually be scared of me, or my gun – same fucking shit. I grinned sardonically at him when he tried to pass off the flinch like it was nothing. He even returned to chewing his cigar, moving his hand from the table to his mouth as if there was no gun pointed at any part of his anatomy.

I smirked, knowing he was putting on a show for his men. Oh, what good liars we all were!

_At least, I get to blow his fucking balls off before I die._

"Are we just going to fucking stand here all day like this?" I heard Vicky say. There was a few seconds of tense silence before I saw Aro's lips slowly turn into a smile. He then waved his hand in the air, twirling his fingers in some kind of signal.

At first I thought James hadn't heard him since he still had his gun pointed at Jasper, his face full of determined hatred.

"James," Aro warned. His tone was not one to argue with. It was just then that the fucking asshole reluctantly lowered his gun. At the same time, the gun that was pointed at my temple was suddenly removed.

I wanted to know the asshole that had the nerve to press a weapon on my head. He would only get one chance to ever do that, and I would make sure to pay him the same respect in the near future. But I didn't get the chance to turn my head around because Aro spoke.

"Edward?" he asked. I knew exactly what he was pertaining to, and it was the gun on his crotch. I grinned before pulling my hand slightly away from between his thighs. There was no longer an imminent danger to my entourage and me, so I released my hand on the knife, leaving it still embedded on the table. It stood there like a sore thumb against the shiny wooden top – a reminder that I could easily grab it and plunge it in Aro's heart if I wanted to.

Aro had done his job, and so I needed to do mine. I turned to Jasper and nodded for him to lower down his weapon. It took him another second or two before he followed. He slumped back on the chair beside me, chuckling as he did, as if he found something funny. He was really fucking weird!

I shook my head at him. It was then I realized Felix had returned to his previous position behind Aro. I was fucking sure he was the one who had his gun pointed at me. I didn't need to turn around to know Marcus and Vicky were behind me. There was no doubt Felix had his share of guns pointed at him.

Aro cleared his throat. He had his eyebrow raised as he said, "The gun, Edward."

I chuckled, just because I could. Removing my hand under the table, I placed my _Glock_ on top with a loud 'thud'.

It was the thing he was waiting for. He grinned, and leaned forward on the table; his hands clasped together.

"I see that you've come prepared, Edward," he observed lazily. "As always."

I shrugged. I wasn't naïve to believe he didn't do his research before setting up this meeting. He was right though – I was always prepared. He should never ever undermine me, but I was sure he knew that already.

"Well, by now you should know better than to underestimate me, Aro."

"Oh, I didn't underestimate you, Edward. Not at all," he said, his eyes on me. I didn't falter from his gaze. He had one artificial eye. The whiteness of the fake eyeball in contrast to the other creeped me out. It made him more menacing in my opinion.

"I actually know your father personally, and you're so much like him," he continued. I wasn't sure if he noticed me staring at his eye. If he did, he ignored it. "You're young but you got the potential to make your _borgata_ the best. Even I could admit that."

Coming from Aro Volturi, it was a great compliment. "I try my best, Aro. I learned from the best, so it's only fucking fair that I'll be the best."

"You're one cocky son of a bitch, aren't you?" He laughed. "I like it."

"So why the fuck did you have to call us here in France?"

"I have so many reasons, but I'll just give you the three most important, Edward." If it was even possible, I could say he leaned another inch closer since he seemed to be in my face now. "First, I wanted to talk about Jacob."

"Black…hmm," I drawled. I really didn't want to talk about that son of a bitch, but if Aro wanted to, I could indulge him. "What the fuck about him?"

"We didn't know he was fucking with us…us, meaning you and I. If I did, I would have killed him myself."

I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not, but I only nodded. Aro had been in this business for as long as I could remember, and he was one stealth son of a bitch himself. He couldn't be trusted, so I wouldn't even start.

"Well, I really hope that the only reason you helped Black was because you thought Swan was trying to steal your _swag_ and not because of something else." The sudden look of surprise on his face was quickly masked by a fake smile.

"Of course it is, Edward," he answered. His voice was tense, and I cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, you fucking better," Jasper snapped. Aro turned his attention to my _underboss_.

"I wouldn't do anything to start a war with the Cullen Family. You must know that by now, Jasper."

Jasper snorted. That made Aro frowned. There was a moment of tense silence before someone spoke again.

"So what are the other reasons?" Jasper asked impatiently. Aro seemed to perk up; his earlier foul mood completely forgotten. He was actually even sporting a wicked grin.

"Well, to be honest. I just wanted to meet you personally, Edward."

That statement surprised me. This wasn't what I had expected for him to say, so I just shrugged. Maybe I should say I was honored or some shit like that, but I wasn't. It even pissed me a little to know that small detail.

"Oh, well…here I am, Aro," I answered sarcastically. I could feel the heat of James' furious gaze, and I was tempted to reach out and smash his head on the fucking table.

"Yes, here you are, Edward…" Aro reached for his cigar again "…and it has been a pleasure to actually meet the famous Edward Cullen. I didn't really know what to expect when I saw you face to face, but so far it has been…interesting."

"Mr. Volturi, he isn't as scary as he would like us to think," James said grittily. I saw Aro reach out to pat his hand…like a fucking dog, trying to pacify his anger someway.

"Now, now, James. We are here because nobody wants any trouble," Aro told him calmly. "Are we clear here?" His voice was serious, a direct contrast to his smiling face. James threw another murderous glare my way, before he looked back at his boss and reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Good…good. So that's settled then."

It took another thirty minutes to discuss details on why we should help each other out, why we should become comrades instead of enemies. The meeting ended with the decision of letting bygones be bygones; to forget Black even existed. This was the only way to ensure a war between the opposing _Families_ wouldn't happen.

Aro's actions seemed suspicious, but I had nothing on him so I reluctantly agreed on the truce. Emmett would no doubt be fucking furious when I got back; he wanted revenge for Rosalie – it was the V's bomb that caused her to be in the hospital after all. I could sympathize with Emmett, but something told me to just agree with Aro at the moment. I had always trusted my instinct, and I sensed that going to war with the V's right now wasn't the right choice.

Aro reached out his hand to shake mine, and I accepted it. "You have a nice time here in France, Edward."

"You too, Aro."

I was halfway out the door of the restaurant, when he spoke. What he said stopped me in my tracks.

"Say hi to Bella for me, Edward."

It was the way he said Bella's name that gave me the chills. I turned to face him, but his expression didn't give out anything, although there was a dangerous twinkle in his eyes. I almost went back to fucking punch him in the face for even mentioning Bella's name, but Jasper's hand on my arm stopped me.

I saw the smirk on Aro's face before I turned around to leave the restaurant.

"We have to get outta here, Edward," Jasper muttered softly. He still looked the ever-composed friend I knew, but his frown alerted me he was concerned about our safety. There was no doubt it wasn't safe to be here, so we quickly made our way to the awaiting SUVs.

The ride back to the hotel was so fucking quiet. Nobody was talking; I wasn't sure if it was because we all sensed some kind of danger. I was staring intently at the blinking light on the small monitor in my hands. It was the signal from Bella's microchip that allowed me to know her whereabouts. She was still at the hotel where I instructed her to be, and I was relieved.

Now that I was sure she was safe, I reluctantly went over what had happened in the past hour. It was then that it dawned on me.

"Fuck!"

"What? Are you alright, Edward?" Jasper asked concerned. I turned to him, my eyebrows squished in a frown.

"Aro never told us the third reason why he had called for a meeting," I revealed quietly.

Jasper's jaw tensed, and he need not say anything more. The car was suddenly quieter than before, even Vicky who always had something to say about everything miraculously remained silent. It was just as well since I needed to fucking think!

The car halted to a stop at an intersection. I was gazing out the window when another car pulled alongside us. I was familiar with it, and suddenly my heart started racing. This was Aro's car…I was fucking sure of that. The window of the black tainted limo rolled down, and I gripped the handle of the door in anticipation of an attack. I even had my hand on my gun. My finger was ready to pull the trigger, knowing for sure the bullet would go through the metal door easily.

Aro's face was finally revealed when the window was fully rolled down, shocking me by giving us a wave and a fucking grin. He couldn't see us but he knew we were there. I didn't give him the courtesy of showing my face because I was pissed. I didn't understand this game he was playing, but I wasn't amused nor was I interested. _How I would love to put a bullet through that fake eye of his!_

"Now that I had met him, I fucking hate that man more!" I hissed to no one in particular.

"Yeah. He kinda gives me the creeps too," Jasper answered.

"Marky, I need you to fucking floor this car," I hissed at him. "I wanna get outta this place as soon as we can."

"Whatever you say, boss."

* * *

**I hope you liked it. ;) **

**I'll be out of town for a few days, so the replies to reviews might be late. Just a reminder to the other readers, if you haven't received a reply from me, it might be because your PM is disabled...so kindly go and enable it.**

**Enjoy your holidays! Mwahz! =D**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

This chapter is all me, so just ignore any/all mistakes you encounter.

This story is winding down. Last chapter was somewhat a glimpse of Aro's personality, and the threat he poses. A threat just like any in E and B's lives. They are in the mob so there will always be some kind of danger lurking around.

This chapter is short but I wanted to post before 2012 comes in, so here it is. Hope you like it. =)

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE**

**BPOV**

I was nestled comfortably in Edward's arm; my legs were tangled with his. I was beyond exhausted, but I couldn't find it in me to sleep. There was something nagging me, and my head was having a hard time letting it go. Maybe I could ask Edward later.

Instead of worrying, I focused my attention on the hairs on his chest, playing with the soft curls. I raised my head from his shoulder to check his face and he had his eyes closed, but the smile on his lips told me he wasn't asleep yet. The flight from France was tiring, and my body was shouting for me to give into the exhaustion but my brain was so stubborn. I moved and accidentally brushed my thigh against Edward's naked flesh, and he hissed. Pretending not to hear him, I started softly circling his chest with my right middle finger. His arms tightened around me in warning. I giggled. I knew he loved it when I played with his chest, but I also knew it could make him horny as well. It wasn't my intention to have sex tonight, but I couldn't stop touching him. I loved touching him, and he knew that. My hand continued its lazy caress, his muscles tensed from my touch. I was too pre-occupied with his body's reaction to mine that I wasn't aware he had moved. His hand was on my wrist, holding it firmly away from him and his chest.

"Babygirl, you're dangerous," he said softly. I moved so I could kiss the skin near his nipple. As expected, there was another hiss.

I giggled and rested my chin on his chest so I was staring directly at him. He released my wrist only to entangle his fingers with mine; pulling so he could kiss the top of my hand. Not satisfied, I reached up to kiss him on the lips. I only planned for it to be a short one but ended up out of breath because he didn't let go of my lips. Eventually, the need for air separated us. His breathing was labored; his nostrils were flaring so I knew he was more than affected by that kiss. Although I was tired, I knew I needed to have my answers. And this was my chance…my only chance. This was the perfect time to ask him my questions, the questions he had shrugged off before he dragged my ass out of France.

"Mase, why did we leave Cannes?" I asked softly. He looked surprised that I had to broach this topic again. He surely didn't think I would allow him to just shrug off my concern, did he? The frown on his face, however, told me he had every intention for me to leave it alone.

"You don't want to tell me," I said dryly. "I just don't understand why?"

"Bella, I…shit!" he muttered. He looked at me for a few seconds, as if assessing my mood. He started to open his mouth, but closed it again.

"Please, Mase," I pleaded. I was afraid if he spoke he would either deny or change the topic. "I know you try to protect me from so many things, but you can't always do that. My father and Emmett had tried to before, but they failed. I'm a member of this _Family_, and whether you like it or not, I also have a responsibility to keep it safe."

"I don't want the ugliness of this life to get to you," he whispered sadly. The look in his eyes was both tender and intense, making me want to comfort him.

Life in the mob was not one big vacation; I knew all the risks and even the bad shits that could happen. I might not know every detail, but I wasn't naïve. I knew I could easily be a target because of who Edward was. My stubbornness and recklessness had landed me into trouble multiple times, but ever since my father died I had tried to become the mature daughter he had always wished for. I tried to be responsible and patient as much as I could, but most of the time Edward was the reason as to why I was pissed.

"I want to give you everything, Bella. But the life I chose is dangerous, and I'm scared to lose you."

On top of his tough exterior was a considerate and caring man. I had a hard time believing it at first, but had come to realize I was the one who made him vulnerable. I thought it was sweet, but I knew this was a disadvantage where his duties as the mob boss were.

"You won't lose me, Mase," I whispered softly, leaning forward again to brush my lips with his. "I'm not going anywhere…you know that."

I knew he needed reassurance that I would always be here with him. I was his strength like he was mine. I smiled, and he reached out to caress my cheek with his finger.

"Tell me what happened. I know there's a reason we jetted out of France in a matter of hours after our arrival."

"Do you really want to know, babygirl?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Of course, I do. I wouldn't ask if I didn't."

He remained silent for what felt like forever. I almost thought he wouldn't tell me, but when he ran his hand through his hair and sat up to lean back on the headboard, I knew he would confide in me.

"I have a very bad feeling Aro wants you, Bella," he said. His eyes bore into me; assessing yet again my reaction. I was shocked, because I had assumed the meeting was some kind of a truce between the Cullen and Volturi clan. I guess I was wrong.

"What made you say that, Mase?" I asked.

"It's just a hunch. The way he had mentioned your name before I even left the building. He was fucking taunting me by even asking how you were. He didn't have to say it, but his intention was clear. He wanted you, but I would die first before he could get his hands on you."

"Are you sure it's me he wants?"

He frowned before nodding slowly, like he too was processing it like I did. "It's not in what he said that alerted my internal warning bells, because he didn't say anything. It's how he intentionally left it up to the last second of our meeting to mention you."

I tried not to panic hearing Edward's words. It wasn't as if it was the first time I was the target of a plot against my family anyway. Maybe he might even be wrong. Truthfully, I wasn't too concerned about me. That wasn't what I was panicked about. I was scared because of Edward. Somehow I knew whatever the plot was against me – if it was true – was connected to him, even though he hadn't realized it yet. Why in the heck would they want me if they didn't want to hurt Edward? Of course, that was the only reason Aro wanted me.

"Bella…babygirl, are you alright?" Edward asked; concern etched on his face. "Don't worry baby, nobody will fucking touch you. Not as long as I'm alive, and I plan to live for a very long time."

I rested my head against his naked shoulder while he wrapped his arm around my waist. Now I knew why he insisted on adding Alec to Seth's group of my personal security. Initially I had argued with him, but Edward was stubborn and I didn't win that argument. I understood the added security; it was for my own protection. From now on, even if I would look like I was some kind of a gigantic spoiled bitch, there would not be any protest coming from me when I had all these bodyguards following me wherever I go. Edward showed me a glimpse of what he was scared of, and I didn't want to break his heart by going against him any longer.

I would indulge him this time.

xxxxxxxxxx

"No, let me to talk to her," I told Emmett. I heard my brother's groan before he handed the phone to Rose. It took a minute before I heard my best friend.

"Hello," Rose hesitated. She sounded weak, but Emmett had told me she was doing better these days. It had been almost two months since the accident at the mansion, and three weeks after Cannes.

"Rose, sweetheart, how are you?" I asked, trying not to scare her. I was mad, not at her but at the situation.

"Bella, I'm okay. I'm just a little tired," she answered. _A little tired?_ Emmett said she had been wallowing inside their room for days, never coming out. I could empathize with her, but she was hiding from everything, even my brother who loved her very much. Although Emmett never said anything about how Rose's change in attitude was hurting him, I knew it did. Ever since Rose knew about the lost of their baby, she had slowly retreated into herself.

She had been doing it for weeks now. She needed time, but this wasn't helping her. I needed to intercede.

"I know, Rose," I told her. "I understand why you need to stay inside your room, but I think it'll be nice for you to have a vacation."

"I…I don't thin-"

"Yes, you do," I said, interrupting her. "Do you want to come here to Chicago? I would even promise to fetch you there." Edward would be pissed if he knew I promised Rose something I wasn't allowed to do. He had been holding me hostage in Chicago ever since we arrived from France. All my protests fell on deaf ears. Something about my security being his first priority. But damn if I wouldn't try to help my sister-in-law and my brother. They needed me. During these past couple of weeks, I wasn't there for them, but this time I would. Maybe Edward would allow me to go to Seattle even for a few minutes just to get Rose. She needed me. But even if Edward didn't agree…even if he would be angry at me, I was determined to help out my family as best I could. They were important to me, and Edward should understand that.

There was still silence on the other end of the phone. "Rose?" I asked softly. I waited, afraid she would say no.

"Do you think you can really come here?" Her voice was small, like she was afraid. My heart went out to her.

"Of course I can, sweetie. I'll be there in a few hours if you promise to come back to Chicago with me."

"Okay."

I smiled, knowing my plan succeeded. "So that's settled then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Bella. I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too, Rose." I could feel my eyes prickle with tears. "Can you get Em back to the phone? I need to talk to him."

Another few seconds passed before I heard my brother again.

"Em, I'll be there tomorrow. Make sure she's ready to come back with me here," I said.

"Thank you, Bella." The relief in my brother's voice told me this was a good idea. That this was best for everyone, including me. I said my goodbyes to Em before I dialed Seth's number.

"Bella," Seth answered. "Is something wrong?"

"No, but do you know where my husband is? I need to talk to him now," I replied. Hopefully, I could convince him to allow me to go to Seattle.

* * *

**Happy New Year, everyone! Best Wishes to you all! =)**

There is another chapter before the epilogue. However, I won't be able to post it before the year ends. Maybe a few days after. I'm sorry I can't keep my promise of finishing this story before 2012 arrives. Forgive me? *pouts*

_Hugs and kisses! Hope the New Year brings us happiness in our hearts, prosperity (lots and lots of it), and hmmm...wisdom? lol._

_Bring it on, 2012! I'm ready for yah! __Hope you all are, too! =D_


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

This chapter is all me, so just ignore any/all mistakes you encounter.

Thanks for reading! ;)

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTY**

**EPOV**

My eyes were glued on the TV screen, watching intently as the male broadcaster of CNN relayed the news of Aro's arrest. An international male correspondent then started speaking, showing the clip of the said arrest. Aro with his lawyers were making their way out of what I assumed was his house, which was now surrounded by what seemed to be more than twenty police cars. The camera then zoomed in to show him all handcuffed, but his face was calm and unreadable as he was ushered inside one of the cars.

"_Mr. Volturi and his camp had yet to comment on the allegations of Caius, a previous member of the Volturi unit, and a star witness for the prosecution against Aro for various illegal activities such as running an extortion racket to murdering an associate."_

"_Details are sketchy at the moment, but sources say Caius is under police protection and would surface only when trail would start."_

"_The EBI are working together with the American FBI to come up with proof of illegal activities Aro Volturi has in the United States…"_ the anchor continued, but I tuned him out. I had heard enough to satisfy me.

Just when I thought nothing would shock me, this did. Not that I was saying I wasn't any less happy this happened to Aro. He was a friend of my father's, not mine. If only I didn't know he had something planned for Bella and me I might have felt some fucking remorse for what one of his closest confidante did to him. Somebody squealing on you was one of the worst things that could happen in this business. Aro being detained and awaiting trial would take some time, and I grinned. This was some kind of very good development for me.

This changes everything, but in the best fucking way.

The way we left things between us –Aro and I – back in Cannes made me wary of the possibilities. I had talked with both Carlisle and Jasper and discussed with them my suspicion about Aro and his motives for bringing me to France, and it was agreed between the three of us that Aro was definitely onto something – something we couldn't act upon drastically just yet. My impatience brought me to the decision of sending Aro a fucking warning. I had initially planned to send him a package - a rose and a bullet – to fuck with him, to make him back off, hoping he would be rattled enough to postpone whatever it was he planned for me or my Bella.

This shit that happened to Aro was better than anything I had planned for him. This would indefinitely postpone, if not halt, his intentions towards my wife and me.

My phone rang, and I picked it up, not checking the caller ID. I knew it was Jasper.

"Did you fucking see the news?" he asked breathless, as if he went running.

"Yes," I answered.

"That's fucked up…what happened to Aro."

"Yeah, I know. But I wouldn't say I'm not fucking happy about this; whatever happened between him and this fucking Caius is a blessing to us."

"This would be ugly for him."

"I want it to be ugly for him…and even for this case to drag for as long as it takes. I want him in jail, just because he's a fucking threat to Bella."

"Well, you know that'll happen. I just hope this Caius guy would live long enough to stand trial. You know what happens to a snitch. Aro is a motherfucking bastard, and I wouldn't be surprised if that asshole James would make sure his Boss won't step inside a court house."

"I think it's safe to say I'm relieved I wouldn't have to worry about him for as long as he's in trial. But make sure you are on top of this, Jasper. Aro can still send someone else to take care of the job if he wanted to."

"Yes, I already fucking did. I already informed Vicky to go to Italy. She'll be there early tomorrow morning the least."

"Make sure to inform me once she has all the deets."

"Of fucking course. She'll most likely be calling you soon. You know Vicks, she's as loyal as anybody could get."

"I know," I answered, never doubting Victoria's loyalty to me. "I need to go over some things with you, J. Meet me here in Bella Italia in thirty,"

"Okay, I'll be there," he said before he hang up.

I contemplated informing Bella about Aro, and decided to tell her tonight. When I left her this morning she was still asleep. I was sure by now she was again hovering over Rose. I was becoming bitter that she was spending less time with me because almost all her free time was spent with her best friend.

I hope Emmett would come and take his wife back to Seattle. I needed mine back.

I was a jealous motherfucker, I know. Sue me.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

**BPOV**

My hands were shaking, as I looked down, almost fainting as I saw the positive marker – two red lines – on the stick.

_Oh my God! This can't be happening!_

Afraid that my legs wouldn't hold me any longer, I sat on the toilet seat and put my head on my hands.

It was then the tears started to fall down. When I thought everything was settled down, this should happen. Edward specifically told me he wasn't ready for a baby yet, and I agreed. I knew I wasn't ready to be a mother, not any time soon. What was I going to do with this baby inside me? I couldn't just get rid of it and forget about it. Edward would be pissed…I was sure of that. His reaction was something I didn't want to see.

My head started to ache and my nose was stuffed. I didn't want anybody to hear me cry. It was a good thing Edward was out early, or he would see me losing my shit here.

I slowly stood up and splashed water on my face, hoping the cold would clear my mind. My eyes were blotchy; there was no denying that I cried. Sniffling, I straightened my hair and tried to act as if everything was all right, even though I had a very bad feeling about this.

Rosalie calling my name made me jump from where I was standing staring at my reflection. I didn't want her to see me like this, so I splashed water again on my face, hoping the redness would disappear.

"Bella?" Rose asked just as I finished fixing myself and was just barely out of the bathroom.

"Hey," I said and gave her a smile, hoping she wouldn't sense something was wrong. I moved towards her, and willed the not so good thoughts out of my mind. I would deal with all this later.

Rose was looking more herself now; she was wearing tight fitting jeans and a very sexy top, her standard casual outfit. This trip was really good for her. She needed time away from Seattle…what with all the bad shit that happened recently to her and Em. I was glad she agreed to come here.

"I was wondering if I could go with Angela to the hotel," she said softly. "I'm kinda bored outta my mind here, you know."

That information perked me up a little. "That's good to hear, sweetie," I said, trying to put as much enthusiasm into my words. Apparently it wasn't enough, because she suddenly looked concerned.

"Hey, are you all right?"

I gave her a smile, and nodded. She searched my face, looking for something. I knew she didn't believe me, but she just dropped it. I was relieved when she sat down on the couch near our bed. I wasn't ready to tell anyone about the pregnancy yet.

"When are you going?" I asked, plopping down beside her on the couch.

"Right after I finish talking to you. Angela's waiting for me outside, actually. Do you want to go with us?" she asked, her lips pursing and her dimples showing.

"Seth looks bored out of his mind, and I bet my ass he wants to go out again sometime during this century," she teased.

I had been cooped inside our penthouse suite for a few days now, and that meant Seth had been here with me all that time. When I suspected I was pregnant I got so scared, opting to stay inside the bedroom in the fear someone would notice. I know I was paranoid. A few minutes out to the pharmacy this morning for that pregnancy kit was not enough to satisfy his boredom. Edward wanted him with me, so even when I suggested he went outside to chill for even a few hours he declined. I wasn't in the mood to go out. My fear of what was in store for Edward, this baby and me was scaring me.

_What if Masen would hate me?_

I shook my head, afraid even to think about it.

"Bella?" Rose asked concerned. "You look pale…and I dunno, girl. Are you really sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I just have a headache. I'll just stay here and rest. I'm sure it'll be gone when you return," I answered, smiling to cover my nervousness. "I'll call Alice so she can visit you in the hotel. Maybe the two of you can go shopping after."

I could see the excitement in her eyes. It had been a while since she went to the mall and splurged. She and Alice weren't close, and this time alone with each other would give them the opportunity to remedy that. They could bond over their favorite past time. Besides, it was high time for both of them to have some girl time, even if I was absent. It would be a good practice to get them together from time to time since they were both my family.

My head was throbbing yet again, so I slowly made my way to the bed. I lied down, hoping she would leave soon. I didn't want her to suspect anything, especially since I wasn't sure what her reaction to my pregnancy would be after her miscarriage.

It seemed she had followed me and was laying down beside me on the bed, reaching her hand out to mine. We stayed like that for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling, just like old times – when we were still in Seattle…when all we knew was to shop and party…when I wasn't married to Edward yet.

"Ro, you better go. It'll be better for you to just leave me," I whispered. I felt her shift, and I turned to see that she was now facing me, smiling.

"Ok, Bella. You call me if there's something you want to do today," she insisted, clearly not satisfied with my reasons, reminding me of the old stubborn Rose. I smiled genuinely, knowing she was getting better as the days passed.

Emmett came to visit a few days ago, but went home yesterday. She was sad to see my brother go, but was not yet prepared to leave here. She planned to stay for a few more weeks; confiding in me that she was scared to go back to Seattle because of all the memories of the baby that would surely haunt her. She was building up her courage so she would be ready when the time came for her to return.

She didn't admit it, but she missed Emmett and their home. She just needed to be better for everyone, and I understood that. It hadn't escaped my notice, though, that Edward wasn't too thrilled about Rose's extended visit, but I just ignored it. My husband was one possessive man.

Shit, talking about being possessive. He would kill me!

_The baby. _I didn't want to think about all it now. I had my eyes closed, and all I heard was the closing of our door to tell me Rose had left me all alone with my thoughts and my worries.

xxxxxxxxxx

**EPOV**

The door closed after Jasper. We came back about half an hour ago from the restaurant to get some documents for a place I needed Jasper to check on.

We had a few drinks, celebrating the good news we had today…especially that of Aro. I even still had a glass of scotch in my hand, swirling the glass as I stared at the content.

I grinned. This was one of those days…good days.

I didn't know that only a few minutes after I said that, my life would never fucking be the same again.

xxxxxxxxxx

**BPOV**

Edward was in his office, doing God knows what. Jasper had just left. I knew because I heard him saying goodbye to Seth in the living room.

My heart was pounding rapidly against my chest. I was scared; there was no doubt about it. Procrastinating was never a good idea, even though that was my initial option, so here I was outside his office door in our apartment. Taking a long, deep breath, I pushed the big door open, and slowly crept inside.

He raised his head when he heard me, and gave me a smile. He leaned back in his seat and motioned for me to sit on his lap. I shook my head, and slowly sat on the opposite chair from where he sat. He raised his eyebrow in question; I rarely said no to him when he wanted to cuddle so this would have come as a surprise to him. His puzzled expression sent another jolt of fear through me, but I pushed it away. I needed to tell him. My palms were sweaty so I started wringing my hands together. I could see his eyes on my hands, and I knew I was being so fucking obvious.

"Babygirl?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

He quickly stood up and was kneeling in front of me, staring me in the eyes. I felt the lump in my throat, and I started to tear up. I shook my head frantically, as if trying to deny this was happening. He looked at me with concern, but didn't say anything, just waiting for me. I was acting like a crazy person, but thankfully he just tried to soothe me.

This wouldn't last long…his calmness. Once I would open my mouth, there was no going back.

"Bella, tell me what's the problem. Why are you crying?" he asked, reaching his thumb to wipe away the tears that streaked my face.

"Oh my God, Mase. I'm so sorry!" I pleaded. He looked surprised, but masked it away. He was used to me being a bitch, and maybe he was thinking I did something so trivial this time that might tick him off. If only.

"Baby, it's all right. Whatever it is, we can talk about it. I promise," he urged.

That made my heart stop, and I dared to hope. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he was willing to start a family now. Maybe he would accept this baby, even if it wasn't the best of times right now.

"I'mpregnant," I mumbled, trying to get it out as quickly as I could.

"What? I can't understand you, babygirl," he whispered. He was rubbing my arms softly, and it felt so good. It would be better if I got this over and done with, and hopefully, Edward was still smiling at the end of it.

"I'M PREGNANT!" I yelled.

I felt him tense, and it was that time that I knew. I knew he wasn't ready.

He backed away, his face blank. I could see the anger in his eyes, and I started to open my mouth to explain. We stared at each for God knows how long. I was waiting for him to comfort me, but he didn't. He was fucking pissed.

"Please, please…Mase. I didn't intend to…" I started saying, moving towards him but the murderous looks he was giving me stopped me in my tracks.

I needed to let him understand. "I wasn't trying to-"

"Shut up! I want you to fucking shut up!" he shouted, and all I could do was stare at him. My eyes were wet with tears. He was so furious, and even though I knew he would be, it was still a shock to see him act like this.

My chest hurt so much. I stood immobile, wishing this wasn't really happening. This Edward was scaring me; I had never seen him this angry at me before. His nostrils were flaring, and he had his hands clenched at his side.

"I told you I wasn't ready for a fucking baby!"

"I didn't mean to become pregnant!"

"Then why are you fucking pregnant then?" he spat. He was callous about it…as if my baby was just something I did on my own.

"You're an asshole!"

"Yeah baby, tell me something I don't know yet." If his glare could melt me, I would have been a puddle of liquid on the floor. "Why the hell are you fucking pregnant, Isabella?"

His tone was angering me, and I didn't care if this would be the end of us. I wouldn't allow him to put all this blame on me.

"If I remember right, I wasn't the only one doing the fucking deed. You were there asshole, so don't blame it on me!"

If it was even possible, he became even angrier by my words. I saw him step forward; his face was so scary that I stepped back. I saw him falter when he heard my gasp, and his angry eyes searched mine before he quickly turned around to exit the room.

_Oh my God! _

I couldn't believe what just happened. My knees were shaking so badly; I sat down on the carpeted floor and sobbed.

_No…no!_

This couldn't be happening. He loved me. He told me he loved me. This was our baby; he should love it, too.

I bawled my eyes out knowing this might be the beginning of our end.

* * *

**I know, I know...Edward is an ass! He already said he didn't want a baby yet, so his reaction shouldn't have come as a surprise to you. **

**I might post another chapter before the epilogue, just because I want to. Do you want that also?**

**Review and tell me your thoughts.**

_**P.S I have a new story in the works. I'll be posting it when I have a few chapters written, so put me on author alert if you want to.**_


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

This chapter is all me, so just ignore any/all mistakes you encounter.

_I had posted on my profile last December 2011 about my story schedule, but I guess not everyone read it. Anyway, I'm supposed to update Slither after I finished MP, however it's taking me longer to finish this one. For those who are asking about Slither, expect a chapter early next week. O_O_

This was supposed to be one long chapter. However, I decided to cut it into two because I don't like long chaps. So here is the first part.

Enjoy! =D

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**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE**

**EPOV**

I was restless. It had been three days since I last saw Bella. The last time was when I lashed out at her when she told me she was pregnant. Blame it all on me, I was a fucking asshole and there was no other way to explain it.

The news had been so unexpected; I freaked out and just walked out on her. The shock didn't wear out until hours later.

Thinking of my actions made me cringe. There was no doubt she hated me…I hated myself for just leaving her angry and crying like that. It didn't help any that I had landed my drunken ass in Brazil, in the island I had bought for Bella a few months ago. After I left the apartment in my temper-induced daze, I went directly to the restaurant to drink myself into oblivion, eventually demanding Marcus to bring me to the fucking island. Don't ask me why I wanted to go because I don't have an answer to that. Then a storm had to hit just when we arrived, postponing our immediate departure back here. To add to all the shit that happened, electricity and all mobile connections were down, making me unable to contact her. Maybe it was a way of getting back to me for being the dick I was to her.

I just arrived a few minutes ago, fucking scared and excited to see her - to explain to her why I did what I did. But she was nowhere to be found. Fear was what had caused me to react that way. I was scared the baby would somehow come between Bella and me, and I would lose my wife. The baby – any child of mine - would become another vulnerable point of attack, and I didn't want to give my enemies more ammunition against me. Not to mention, I wasn't ready, at all, to be a fucking father yet.

But that same fear pushed Bella away, and now she was gone. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart.

As I stood in our empty bedroom, her absence a raging reminder of how stupid I was. The silence looming over me; the end so apparent it threatened to engulf me. Everyone was aware of how irrational I could become when I was angry, but it didn't excuse my actions. If only I stepped back a few minutes…hell, even a day before I reacted, she wouldn't have left. Many times during my long flight from Brazil to here I had thought how I felt about the baby. Honestly, I wasn't really sure. All I knew was, I couldn't live without my wife. If she wanted the baby, then I would have to learn somehow to just accept it, maybe even love the baby. Never once did I think I would arrive to an empty penthouse suite.

Her absence still stunned me. I never thought she would leave me. _Well, what did you fucking think she'd do after you acted like the pompous ass you are?_ Seth was also nowhere to be found. I only hoped he was with her, because if he wasn't I was going to fucking kill him.

"Marcus, have you reached Seth yet?" I barked. I was tired and hungry. And now I was pissed, too.

"Not yet, Boss," he said. He looked at me quizzically, clearly waiting for any instructions from me.

"Tell me when you do," I ordered curtly. "And Marky, make sure Eleazar is on the next flight to Italy to take Vicky's place…coz she's on the way here now."

I had called Victoria before I left Brazil, so I was sure she had landed a few hours ago.

"I will, Boss." Marcus left me after that. He knew I needed some time alone to process this shit I was in.

Would I be a pussy if I thanked him? He was the one who took care of me while I was too drunk in another country. He was the one who prevented me from landing my ass in jail during our very short stay in the _Galeao International airport_. I was too angry to care, and I wanted to take it out on everyone, even the fucking airport police. If it weren't for him, I would have fucked up things more. Luckily, I had him to control me. I was even surprised he could do that. Aside from Bella, it was always Jasper who could calm me down.

Marcus was not only a very good bodyguard but also a good friend to me. He had earned a little more respect from me for what he did; I even let his snide remarks about me being _a fucking selfish bastard_ slide. It was true…all fucking true.

That same selfishness, however, would make me get Bella back. I needed her, and that was that.

As quickly as I could, I went into my office and got the portable monitor, which I had forgotten in my haste to escape her three days ago. The small screen showed the red light blinking steadily in one area of downtown Seattle…that was Bella's location. Relief suddenly washed over me, making me exhale a long, deep breath. Although I could still feel my anger warring to come out, I knew I was calmer than I was when I first heard she was pregnant. I needed to control myself if I wanted her back.

We needed to talk, and we would talk. I could explain this to Bella so she could understand, and if she didn't…then _shit_! Her departure just cemented how truly I fucked things up between us.

The scary thing was, I wasn't even sure how to rectify it. All I knew was, I wanted her back.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Still nothing, Boss," Seth informed me, as I stepped off the SUV.

It had been a week since my arrival here in Seattle. I had tried all means of contact with Bella, but she refused to talk to me. Most of my time was spent inside the SUV, waiting like a goddamn stalker…waiting until she gave me a little of her time. It even came to a point where I was so frustrated I had nearly broken down her apartment door. It was a good thing Alice was there with me, and she prevented me from smashing the door open like I wanted to. She said it would make matters worse, and grudgingly I took her advice.

Seth was my link to Bella, my inside information to what she was doing daily. I wasn't sure if she was aware he had been sneaking out almost every night so he could come and talk to me, but if she did then she didn't reprimand him. I wanted to talk to her personally, but this was better than nothing. Bella had disallowed Seth the use of his mobile phone, making him unable to update me on what she was doing on an hourly basis. It was a means of defiance, which got me all riled up in the beginning. Now, I understood she was sending me a message loud and clear.

She didn't want me. Too bad for her, because that was fucking unacceptable! I would get her back if that was the last thing I would do.

"How is she?" I asked, taking another drag of my cigarette. My eyes stayed on him while I attacked the cancer stick.

"She's not doing well, Boss," he answered. His expression told me he was concerned, but I didn't give a shit at this moment.

"I know that, Seth. You keep on saying that!" I yelled, chucking the cigarette butt down the concrete pathway. "I want details! I want to know what she's been doing. Tell me whether she's eating…whether she's sleeping well during the night…whether she's still always crying." That last sentence made me cringe. I was the reason she was crying, and no matter how many times I would want to hit my head on something hard for being so fucking stupid, I couldn't undo what I did.

"She locks herself in her room most of the time, Boss…wallowing. Sometimes, she doesn't even come out the whole day…but I encourage her to. And sometimes she listens." He took a moment to check my reaction, but I just stared at him, processing everything he said. I wanted to hear more, so I just waited for him to continue.

"She eats because I force her to," he said, looking tentatively at me, afraid I would get angry at what he said. I wasn't, but I couldn't help grinned my teeth in frustration. If I didn't act like the douche I was, we wouldn't be here. "But I know she cries when she's alone in her bed at night."

Although I tried, I couldn't help feel jealous. Seth was there for her, and I wasn't. It was my fault, but it didn't mean I liked where we were at the moment. Just as the malicious thoughts started to ebb in, I squashed it away, but it didn't mean I wasn't pissed.

My expression might have given away what I was thinking, because I could see the panic in Seth's eyes.

"No, that's not what you think, Boss," he said quickly. I was scowling at him, but made no move to do anything more. "Before I sleep, I make sure everything's been checked properly. The last few nights I passed her room, I'm sure I could hear her sobbing. That's why I know she cries…not because…of what you think," he explained rapidly.

"What do I fucking think, Seth? Tell me," I asked gruffly, trying to aggravate him. Deep down, I knew he wouldn't do anything like that. I was just angry, and I wanted to fuck somebody up. He was a very good target at the moment.

"You know I wouldn't do that to you, Boss," he said seriously. He was looking so uncomfortable now, and I kind of pitied him.

I sighed. "I know." Seth was loyal; he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his position in my unit. And he would not intentionally hurt me, or my Bella. I had assigned him to protect her, and he was doing a hell of a job.

"Seth, I think it's best you get back inside." It was Marcus. I could hear the warning in his voice, and I was glad he was here with me. Maybe I would give him one of those automatic rifles he always wanted.

Seth was still looking at me. He was watching me, clearly waiting for my instruction. I nodded, and he slowly made his way toward the door. He knew to come meet me here tomorrow.

_This was what you get for being a fucktard!_

I would wait until she was ready to speak to me. I would be patient, even if it was so damn hard to do…because it was Bella I was waiting for. _My pregnant Bella_.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Do you think she'll ever get out of that damn house?" Jasper asked.

I glanced towards the opposite direction, to the building opposite to where I was currently residing. Jasper followed my gaze.

"I don't know," I answered dejectedly.

He smiled encouragingly, and wiggled his eyebrows. "Well, it's a good thing you were able to rent this place so you can stalk her…again," he said. I knew he couldn't resist adding that last bit because of what happened after New York, and a smile escaped my lips. Waiting inside an SUV for hours at ends wasn't very rewarding, so instead I found this apartment across from where Bella was currently staying. Well, it was more like I bribed the owner of the place and forcefully evicted the tenants, compensating them with a year's worth of their supposed rent.

That was five days ago, and I had been here since then.

"What was I supposed to do...just leave her here? No fucking way!" I said. "She's not even talking to me."

"Thinking before acting is always good, you know. You should've prevented this if you hadn't given into your anger and lashed out at her," he replied flatly. His eyebrow arched when I scowled at him. "For God' s sake Edward, she told you she was pregnant and you walked out on her...your wife! Of course, she'd be devastated...and pissed."

"I didn't ask for your fucking opinion J, so shut the fuck up!" I hissed.

He didn't seem threatened by me. "Well, I'm giving you mine. Just a thought before you do something drastic again."

It was a warning, something I was aware I needed to heed. My patience was wearing thin, and I didn't know how long I could take Bella's stubbornness. I was halfway out of my mind with worry about her. _Fuck! _I had thought by now she would have given me even a little consideration. I was shocked, for Christ sakes! She should at least try to let me explain to her.

My frustration was getting the best of me, but I was resolved to not let go of my control…to not break down her door and steal her away to lock up where she couldn't escape me. The thought was tempting, though, and it was taking every ounce of my resolve not to do just that. Manhandling her wouldn't get me what I wanted. She would defy me just to rile me up.

"Edward, you have to be calm. You know she loves you…just give her time. She'll come around. That's what they always do…our women, I mean," Jasper said.

"I hope she does. I'm losing my mind over here," I growled, and he laughed. The fucker! He was mocking me, and I glared daggers at him. I wish I could shoot him in the nuts; that would fucking show him.

"Just hang in there, Edward. You deserve what she gives you, so suck it all up," he said, retrieving a pack of cigarettes from his jean pocket.

The font door slammed and Marcus appeared. He looked out of breath, like he just ran a marathon.

"Boss, Bella's going out," he said, panting. "Seth said she's all dressed up, and looked kind of excited."

I leaped out of my chair even before he finished his sentence. Walking toward the window, I moved the curtains aside and checked. I was just in time to see Bella get inside of the black Lincoln with Seth.

I didn't want to waste any time so I scrambled to get my leather jacket. I was halfway out the living room when I remembered Jasper.

"I need to deal with this, J," I said and slipped on my leather jacket.

"Thread lightly," he advised. He gave me a smirk and tipped his non-existent hat to me. "Go get your wife back."

I nodded my head, before turning my back on him. I exited the building, Marcus hot on my heels. It was a good thing the black SUV was waiting in front when I came out. I was getting restless by the second; I didn't want their car to get too far.

Vicky was driving, as usual, and the glint in her eyes told me she, too, wanted Bella back. I didn't want to dwell too much on the reason behind it. As long as we were on the same page, then everything was cool.

We followed Bella's car into a mall. By now, there was no doubt she didn't know about us trailing them – _her_. I wasn't sure what her reaction would be when she saw me, because I would make sure she knew I was following her, but at the moment, I wasn't too concerned about that. All I could picture was her face and her eyes; how I would love to see her smile at me again.

The black Lincoln stopped in front of the mall entrance, and Bella stepped out. My car was two cars away from hers and was slowly inching forward, but I couldn't wait any longer. I opened the door, leaving Marcus and the other two men trailing behind me. I even sprinted so I could catch up with my wife.

By the time I caught up with her, there was no denying she was aware I was there. She was almost within my reach when she turned to face me; her glare stopped me momentarily in my tracks. It was not the anger I saw that made me falter, but the obvious physical changes in her. She had clearly lost a couple of pounds, but despite the thinness she was glowing. There was still no apparent bulge in her belly, but I noticed her breasts - they looked bigger. I forced myself to look at her face. It wasn't good to think with my dick especially when I was trying to win her over.

"Babygirl," I whispered. "I'm-"

She turned away from me, cutting off the apologies I wanted to say. Her warning was clear – she didn't want me here – but it didn't mean I would listen. I was determined to show her I was fucking sorry, so even if I would look like a fucking douche following her around, I would do just that. And that was what I did the whole two hours she was inside the mall.

At one time, she even went inside a maternity clothing shop. Maybe she thought a visit inside a shop that would remind me of the pregnancy and the baby would stop me from following her. Fat chance. Instead of just staying outside to wait for her, I went in myself and offered to pay for all the things she planned to buy. But all my efforts fell on deaf ears – she ignored me, like I wasn't even there at all. I took it all in stride though. She was still angry with me. I got that. When I got too close, she made it clear she didn't like the proximity one bit, so I made sure I was approximately one meter behind her. I knew we were attracting attention because Marcus and the other two men looked so out of place in this mall, but there was nothing I could do about it. It is what it is.

It was a good thing she had decided to go home after only a few hours. I heard women could spend almost all day inside a mall if they wanted to; that was what Alice would do.

I only hoped she would know I was trying; she had to know that.

Once we returned to her apartment, it was the same as before. She ignored me as usual, and she didn't need to ban me from coming in for me to know I wasn't welcome just yet. I was still not forgiven, but I would be.

Bella Cullen would forgive me. Maybe if I chanted it over and over again, it would come true.

* * *

**Bella should already forgive him...yeah?**

**Okay, press that review button and tell me what you think.**

**Thank you for reading! *Huggles***

**P.S Part 2 will be posted in a day or two.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot.

This chapter is all me, so just ignore any/all mistakes you encounter.

I'm a little late in posting because I kept on tweaking this chapter, but here it is. I hope it won't disappoint. Enjoy! =D

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO**

**EPOV**

"Fuck!" I yelled, rubbing the sting on my cheek; Rosalie had just slapped me. If I had been ready, she wouldn't have been able to do that. "What was that for?"

"That's for treating Bella the way you did," she answered matter-of-factly. She seemed to have recovered from the accident and her miscarriage, because she was her usual bitchy self.

If I wasn't intrigued as to why she was here, I would personally throw her out. Emmett wasn't with her, and I wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or not. There was no doubt she now knew about Bella and me. I wondered why it took her this long to learn about what had happened. She would have certainly been with Bella before this if she had known; I was sure of that. Whatever reasons Bella had for not telling her brother and her best friend was entirely hers, but I could say I was a little grateful for that.

Emmett was protective of Bella. I had expected once he heard the news that he would have locked his sister away and not allow me anywhere near her, but surprisingly he didn't do anything. I wondered why that was.

"What do you want, Rose?" I snapped at her, still fucking pissed about her hitting me. I stood, glaring at her.

"Don't take that tone with me, Cullen," she said. "Be thankful I convinced Emmett not to come and hurt you himself. "

So that was the reason. I should have known.

"Yeah, whatever," I replied snidely, trying not to lose patience with her... "so he sent you instead."

"Nope," was all she said, just staring at me with an arched brow.

"Why the hell are you here then, Rosalie? I bet it's not just to bitch at me."

"Oh, shut up! I'm here because you need me," she answered arrogantly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.

"I'm gonna help you, Cullen," she said. "With Bella."

_What the fuck?_ "What?" I wasn't sure if I heard her right. And if I did, why would she help? I was the bad guy here; she didn't need to say it…I knew she believed it.

"I said, I'm gonna fucking help you!" she retorted. She turned around to scowl at me. "But you make one wrong move and even that Vicky can't stand in my way to fry your nuts!"

I looked at her, stunned. Whether it was because she was willing to help me or she was threatening me, I wasn't sure.

"Close your mouth," she snapped. "Don't look so surprised. I wanna help you because I know Bella loves you. But let's make one thing clear here…I'm doing this because of her, not you." She gave me this look, daring me to disagree with her.

"I know that, Rose," I said, finally finding my voice. It had been three weeks since I arrived here in Seattle in search of my wife. Unfortunately, Bella still didn't acknowledge my presence. I tried time and time again for her to talk to me, but she refused to give into my request. By now, I was beyond frustrated and any help I could get to get her back to me would surely be appreciated. Rosalie might just be my life savior.

"Are you really sure you want to help me?" She might just be pulling my leg, and I didn't have the time and patience to indulge her.

She nodded. "And I think I need my head to be examined because of that."

Even before I could thank her, she started moving towards the door. "You stay here, and I'll go convince her. Wish me luck, Cullen…or let's say, wish yourself some luck. Hopefully my charm could make her talk to you."

She left me astounded. Now I understood why Bella loved her. Underneath all that tough exterior was still a loving and caring friend. Maybe her niceness only extended to those people she liked, and even though I wasn't one of them before, she might have changed her mind about me. Her helping me could be considered something nice, wasn't it? I never really cared what Rosalie thought about me before. Her friendship with Bella was something I was indifferent before; I didn't give much care to it. Maybe I should start being pleasant to her. It would be better for me in the end. _Yeah, definitely try to be friends with her._

And that resolve strengthened when she came back after an hour. Bella had finally agreed to talk to me. Rose had convinced my wife to hear what I had to say. I didn't know how she did it, but I was grateful she did.

"Fuck, Rose…I can't thank you enough," I said awkwardly.

"Don't thank me just yet. Bella said she would talk to you, not that she's going to forgive you," she said. "Everything's not okay between the two of you just yet. If only you're not what she needs, I would have never arranged this."

"Just mention anything you want and I'll give it to you," I promised.

She arched her eyebrow and said, "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really."

"I want a fucking orange _Ferrari Enzo_," was her quick response.

"Done." I wasn't joking; giving her the car would be easy. I knew there were around three hundred to four hundred of these cars around, and I would make damn sure I would find one for her.

She smirked, and I returned it with one of mine. Somehow, this conversation made us friends or allies, whatever. The important thing I learned was, I could count on her where Bella was concerned.

"And Cullen, make everything all right with her, okay?" she said. I wasn't sure whether it was a demand or a request, but I nodded and went across the street towards Bella's apartment. I didn't need to knock on her door, because Seth opened it just when I stepped on the doorstep. He might have been looking out the window while I crossed the street.

Now I was unsure. I wanted to talk to Bella because I wanted to have a chance to explain, but it didn't mean she would listen. She could be stubborn and bitchy…and fucking scary if she wanted to. Although I was a little agitated to face Bella, my determination to get her back hadn't waned. I couldn't live without her, and these past few weeks without her cemented that fact.

Bella was sitting on the couch on the living room, drinking what I guessed was juice. She didn't acknowledge my presence when I came in, but I knew she was aware I was there. We always had that connection.

"Bella," I whispered. My heart was thumping hard against my ribcage. The sound was loud against my ears, and I was a certain she could hear it.

She turned to me but I couldn't read her face. That suddenly scared me. What if she told me she would leave me?

"Masen," she deadpanned. Her calling me by that name made me smile; she however, looked anything but happy by my presence.

"Sit down. Let's get this over with," she said.

Not waiting for her to tell me she didn't want me to, I sat beside her. I needed to be close to her. "Babygirl, I'm so sor-"

"I know you're sorry. You wouldn't be here if you weren't," she cut me off. I could see the anger in her eyes blazing steadily. She wouldn't make this easy for me; I wouldn't make it easy for me either.

"Why are you here…to grovel? That would be nice," she said scathingly.

"I want to talk to you. I've been meaning to do that since I arrived here three weeks ago, but you won't see me," I said.

"Why do you think that is?"

"I know you're angry. I can understand that, but I want to explain why I did what I did." She just her arched her eyebrow at me.

"Oh, so now you want to explain. I thought it was clear what you wanted when you walked out on me," she said harshly. I flinched at her words, but knowing I deserved everything she would throw at me.

"I wasn't thinking straight, Babygirl. You know damn well I have a fucking temper!"

"You're an asshole... that's what you are, Masen! And I thought I did you a favor by leaving," she spat. "Now what do you want?" she demanded angrily.

"You know what I want, Bella. It's always you…it has always been you," I told her.

She laughed sarcastically and it felt like she had slapped me on the face. "You didn't act that way when you left me there in your office after I told you I was pregnant." Her bitterness wasn't lost to me. "I told you I was PREGNANT and you fucking left me! Try to explain that to me!"

What could I say? There was no excuse for what I did. "I'm sorry."

She started shaking her head, like she was shaking away all her anger and frustrations. "You could have at least called me after. I waited and waited, but there was nothing." She wasn't yelling anymore, but her voice was hard. She took a sip of her juice before she turned her icy glare back at me.

"I was in Brazil, Bella. Didn't Seth tell you that?" I answered, hoping that would at least explain something to her. I clenched my fists at my side, trying to control my frustration. The expression on her face told me she knew all about my trip to Brazil, but she clearly didn't care.

"Yeah, that's what I heard…but you shouldn't have left in the first place," she said stonily. It took a few seconds before she spoke, and I felt her words pierce my heart. "I thought you loved me."

Her eyes started to water, and I wanted to bash my head for making her cry. I grabbed her free hand quickly, needing to feel her.

"I love you, Babygirl. How could you doubt that?"

She snatched her hand away from mine and angrily stood up. _I was a dead man._

"How could I doubt that?" she yelled, throwing my words back at me. "You left me after I told you about the baby! How could you do that to me? After all we have been through…you just walk away! It was so easy for you!"

"I'm sorry!"

"If you say sorry one more time, I'm gonna kick your ass!" she threatened, her nostrils were flaring. There was one point I thought she would slap me, but she didn't. I would even welcome any physical abuse from her if it meant she would forgive me.

"I was so scared to tell you, Mase! I knew you would react that way…and you did!" she cried.

"I panicked! I didn't know what to think. You know I'm not prepared to be a father…I told you that," I argued, hoping to God she would understand.

"What did you think I felt when I learned I was pregnant, huh? I'm not prepared to be a mother, but you didn't see me acting like a bitch about it. This is our baby…can't you understand that?" Her cheeks were now wet with her tears, and I wanted so much to hold her…comfort her, but I couldn't. She hated me.

"I can't apologize enough, Bella. I know I'm a jerk," I started, standing up as I did. "Please…please give me a chance to prove to you I could do better."

She didn't say anything to that, and I held my breath. We remained silent, just staring at each other, waiting.

"You broke my heart that day, Masen," she said flatly, sniffling.

"Yes, I know that," I replied. I stepped forward to get close to her, but she stepped back.

"I don't know if I can do this," she said, motioning between us. "I can still see your face…oh, God!" My chest tightened at her words. I pulled her to me roughly, wrapping my arms around her tightly.

"No, baby…you have to forgive me!" I begged. "You have to."

I knew I was crashing her so I loosened my grip. I even tilted her chin so she could look me in the eyes. Her eyes were wet with tears, and I lost myself in them. "I love you so fucking much, Babygirl. Say you'll give me a chance."

She looked lost…uncertain. It took a while before she said something, and that whole time I was forcing my panic down. She couldn't leave me…I wouldn't let her!

"What about the baby, Masen?" she asked softly. "You're not ready...you said so."

"If you want the fucking baby, then I want it, too," I answered.

Her eyes searched mine; maybe she wanted to see if I was lying. She should know I was telling her the truth. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before answering, "I don't know. I'm so confused right now."

"Baby…Bella, oh God, I can't live without you. I'll do anything…just please!" I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against her. She was everything to me!

"Just give me time, okay?"

Her request made me sigh in relief. "Okay. If you want time, that's what I'll give you," I told her. Although I was disappointed of what she asked, I could totally give her that. It was better than nothing.

She started to wiggle free from my arms, but I didn't release her. She felt so good, and I wasn't sure when I would be holding her again.

"Do you think I can stay here with you while you do some thinking? I need to be close…just to make sure you're safe," I asked hopefully. My eyes begged her. There was a possibility she might say no, but I needed to ask. It was for everyone's safety, not to mention my own personal desire to be where she was.

"I'll think about it," she replied quietly. I smiled. Her resolve was crumbling. I knew she would come around. It would only be a matter of time.

She was mine, but I would give her time to acknowledge that fact again.

xxxxxxxxxx

I was a very lucky bastard.

Bella had eventually allowed me to stay with her in her apartment. Surprisingly, she also thought this was best. _Thank God!_

I hadn't left Seattle since my arrival here about a month ago, leaving everything to Jasper to oversee while I resolved my personal problems. He also knew this was more important than any business we had there. He even sent additional men from Chicago for additional security, so I had to retain the apartment from across the street to house them, declining Emmett's offer to take them in. I wanted them close and that was where they would be.

Living with my wife again was bittersweet. We were in the same apartment, but we maintained two separate bedrooms. Things between us weren't the same. I missed her; she was near, but yet so far.

Bella had morning sickness and it wasn't easy for me to see her puking her guts everyday. It had taken me a few days to get used to it, but at least now, I knew I could handle seeing her like that.

It had been a week since I moved in with her, and we had been inside ever since. She didn't go out except for that one when she had a doctor's appointment, so I also didn't go anywhere. Instead of dying of boredom with nothing to do, I opted to follow her around the apartment. I made sure she was comfortable and even served her from time to time. Maybe she liked what I was doing because she didn't complain one bit about me hovering. It helped that Rose and Emmett left us alone to sort things out. Emmett, however, demanded I take care of his sister, or I would pay. _Oh, I was paying_. He didn't have to threaten me. Alice had stopped by yesterday before she left for Chicago, making sure I was also being the good husband to Bella. She had even made my wife promise to let her decorate the nursery, wherever that might be.

The day had started out like every other day since I arrived. Bella threw up and took a nap. I had taken over bringing breakfast to my wife from Seth and was reading the paper, just waiting for her to wake up so I could deliver the tray to her room.

Making her feel like a princess was my goal, and for her to realize I was still her prince. She was a bit distant with me, but she could manage to give me an occasional smile that would brighten up her whole fucking face, which in turn would make me happy. Just thinking of her smile made me think of her lips…so luscious and so fucking kissable. God, it had been so long since I kissed her.

My thoughts were cut off when I heard a cry of panic. _Bella!_

I ran to her bedroom as quickly as I could. The first thing I saw was Bella's frightened face. Her eyes were wide, and she looked so pale.

"Baby, what happened?" I asked, fighting off my own panic. "Is something hurting?" I cradled her face between my hands, wanting her to tell me what was wrong. She looked ready to faint. Her eyes that were prickling with tears just stared at me pleadingly.

"You have to tell me, babygirl," I urged.

She turned around and it was then I saw the big red stain on her dress, just where her ass was.

"Shit, what the hell happened?" I asked, my heartbeat escalated another notch from the sight of the blood. She kept shaking her head, as if she was in denial.

"The baby," she whispered, and she began to sob. I scooped her up, and didn't wait for Seth. We needed to get her to a doctor!

Everything was a blur after that. She was sobbing uncontrollably on the way to the hospital, pleading with me to take care of our baby. I stupidly promised her I would. The whole time I did that, my emotions were whacked. I wasn't sure what to feel. All I wanted was for her to be fine. That was my main concern.

I was so afraid I would let her down again. I wasn't sure how the baby was, and I had already promised her _it_ wouldn't be harmed. But what if?

No! She would hate me more, and I couldn't have that.

I pushed that thought away, not wanting her to get that bad vibe from me. I held Bella's hand as we were ushered in the examining room. She was still bleeding, and I was so sure the baby was gone. I didn't need a medical degree to know that much blood meant we might have already lost it.

Bella was shaking, and I just held her to me, whispering "_It's gonna be okay, baby. It's gonna be okay"_ over and over again. Comforting her. Her hand gripped one of mine in agitation. The doctor wanted a vaginal ultrasound to check the status of the fetus in Bella's womb. As the technician, introducing herself as Cathy, inserted a tube inside Bella's vagina, I could feel her hand tightened more in mine. I needed to be strong for her.

This pregnancy was unexpected, but it sure was not unwanted. Bella already loved this baby, and it would devastate her if she lost it.

The monitor was fuzyy at first. Cathy pointed something on the screen, and it was then I saw the very faint thumping movement – the heart. It was a pulse. The baby was alive._ Fuck me!_

I heard Bella gasp, and my gaze drifted to her face. She was staring at me with what I think was wonder in her eyes. It was then I realized it was because of something she saw on my face. I didn't know what my expression was, but my heart was racing so fast.

"Our baby's fine, Mase," she said so sweetly; tears were running down her face. She smiled, and I leaned down to kiss her.

"Yes," was all I could say.

My heart felt lighter when I saw that small tiny beat of a heart. That was when I knew I wanted the baby. Not just because of Bella.

* * *

**I was kinda scared to post this, but I had to brave it out. So...did you hate/love it? *bites nails***

**Epilogue will be posted soon. Thank you for reading! ;)**


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